Introducing ChatGPT Futures: Class of 2026
OpenAI has introduced the inaugural ChatGPT Futures Class of 2026, recognizing 26 student innovators from over 20 institutions. Each honoree will receive a $10,000 grant and access to OpenAI's frontier models to support their ongoing AI projects.
The Core Development
Today, we’re proud to introduce the inaugural ChatGPT Futures Class of 2026 (opens in a new window) , recognizing 26 students and young builders using AI in thoughtful, ambitious, and deeply human ways.
The class of 2026 is the first generation to start and finish college with ChatGPT.
They arrived on campus in the fall of 2022 just as AI was beginning to reshape how people learn, create, and work. This generation was ChatGPT’s earliest adopters, sharing the tool with their parents and siblings, friends and teachers. Now, they’re graduating into a world where changes in technology are accelerating every day.
Deployment & Availability
For decades, the ability to build something—whether a product, a research project, a movement, or a company—often depended on access. Access to technical training, institutional support, networks, or funding. Those barriers haven’t disappeared, but they are beginning to shift. Michelle Lawson, a 20-year-old student at Smith College and a ChatGPT Futures honoree shared with us, “I’ve always believed that you can achieve everything that you can imagine, as long as you’re given the right support and resources. AI has made that happen not only for myself, but for hundreds of thousands of people.”
At OpenAI, we believe students should help shape the future of AI, not simply inherit it. To date, we’ve supported this transformation with tools and resources to support educators and students including ChatGPTEdu , 100 chats for Students (opens in a new window) , Study Mode , and partnerships with organizations like the American Federation for Teachers . ChatGPT Futures is one more way we plan to celebrate the young people already doing exactly that.
Strategic Perspective & Ecosystem Impact
Over the past few years, I’ve spent time visiting campuses, speaking with students and educators, and watching how young people are actually using AI in their daily lives. What I’ve seen has challenged many of the assumptions people make about this generation.
Many students aren’t using AI to avoid work. They’re using it to attempt things they wouldn’t have thought possible before.
I’ve met students who are building study tools for classmates. Translating mental health resources for underserved communities. Advancing scientific research. Designing accessibility tools for peers with disabilities. Turning side projects into real organizations with real impact.
Why it matters
This program highlights how early adopters are leveraging AI to accelerate prototyping and problem-solving, signaling a shift in how the next generation interacts with technology on college campuses.