ChatGPT Futures: Class of 2026 Announced

OpenAI has launched the ChatGPT Futures Class of 2026, selecting 26 students and young creators who use AI thoughtfully and boldly. They are the first generation to start and finish college alongside ChatGPT, having experienced firsthand how AI has changed the way people learn, create, and work since entering college in fall 2022.

What was found on campus differed from the common assumption that 'AI is used to avoid work.' Students used AI to build study tools for their peers, translate mental health resources for underserved communities, assist scientific research, design accessibility tools for students with disabilities, and grow side projects into real organizations.

• Kyle Scenna said the gap between the moment of spotting a problem and the moment of actually building something has shrunk dramatically.
• Michelle Lawson emphasized that with the right support and resources, AI expands what's possible for individuals and for countless others.
• The 26 selected come from more than 20 universities and institutions, including Vanderbilt, University of Toronto, Oxford, and Georgia Tech, and each receives a $10,000 grant and access to OpenAI's frontier models.

The core message is clear: AI doesn't replace ambition, it builds agency. To support this, OpenAI will continue ChatGPTEdu, 100 chats for Students, Study Mode, and its partnership with the American Federation for Teachers (AFT), emphasizing that students should actively shape the future of AI, not simply inherit it.