Foundations want to curb AI developers’ influence with $500 million aimed at centering human needs

NEW YORK (AP) – Artificial intelligence is design – not destiny.

That’s the message from ten philanthropic foundations aiming to loosen the grip that the technology’s moneyed developers, fueled by an investing frenzy, hold over its evolution. Launched Tuesday under the name Humanity AI, the coalition is committing $500 million across the next five years to place human interests at the forefront of the technology’s rapid integration into daily life.

“Every day, people learn more about the ways AI is impacting their lives, and it can often feel like this technology is happening to us rather than with us and for us,” MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey said in a statement. “The stakes are too high to defer decisions to a handful of companies and leaders within them.”

Artificial intelligence has been embraced as a productivity booster in fields such as software engineering or medicine. Voice-cloning technology has been used to help speech-impaired people communicate. Humanitarian groups are testing its ability to translate important documents for refugees.

But others question whether its deployment is actually improving their quality of life. Some point out that real harms exist for children turning to AI chatbots for companionship. AI-generated deepfake videos contribute to the online spread of misinformation and disinformation. The electricity-hungry systems’ reliance on energy generated by fossil fuels contributes to climate change. And economists fear AI is taking jobs from young or entry-level workers.

Humanity AI seeks to take back agency by supporting technology and advocates centering people and the planet. Members must make grants in at least one of five priority areas identified by the coalition: advancing democracy, strengthening education, protecting artists, enhancing work or defending personal security.

The alliance of a broad range of philanthropies underscores the widespread concern. Its ranks include humanities supporters such as the Mellon Foundation and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; tacklers of inequality such as the Ford Foundation and Omidyar Network; equitable technology funders such as Mozilla Foundation and the Siegal Family Foundation; as well as charitable behemoths in the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

“We can choose participation over control. The systems shaping our lives must be powered by people, open by design, and fueled by imagination,” Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Nabiha Syed said in a statement. “And Humanity AI will support exactly that, by resourcing those taking back human agency in how tech evolves.”

They’re not the first philanthropic coalition to emerge this year with the goal of ensuring everyday people don’t get left behind. The Gates Foundation and Ballmer Group were among the funders who announced in July that they’d spend $1 billion over 15 years to help create AI tools for public defenders, parole officers, social workers and others who help Americans in precarious situations. Other efforts seek to improve AI literacy and expand access for entrepreneurs in low-income countries.

Humanity AI hopes to expand its coalition. Parters will begin coordinating grants this fall and pool their money next year in a fund managed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Omidyar Network Michele L. Jawando emphasized that humans have the power to ensure artificial intelligence amplifies, and doesn’t erode, their needs. But she said we’re at that crossroads now.

“The future will not be written by algorithms,” Jawando said in the release. “It will be written by people as a collective force.”