OpenAI joins Korean initiative to deploy AI for social welfare

Participants attend the launch ceremony of the inaugural CMK Social Welfare Innovation Leaders Academy in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of OpenAI Korea

OpenAI is partnering with a new leadership academy in Korea to help train young social welfare professionals to use artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle real-world challenges, expanding the company's efforts to support the public-interest sector.

The company said Monday it will participate as a partner in the CMK Social Welfare Innovation Leaders Academy, a program jointly organized by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, Seoul National University's Institute of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The academy is designed to help the next generation of social welfare leaders develop practical skills to identify and solve emerging social problems using AI.

Thirty participants were selected, including undergraduate students majoring in social welfare, graduate students and early-career social welfare professionals with at least three years of experience.

Participants will complete two overnight training sessions at Seoul National University before returning to their organizations for a three-month team-based action learning project.

The curriculum includes policy design for emerging social risks, space-based approaches to solving social problems, mental health and integrated care, legal rights advocacy and AI-driven innovation in social welfare services.

On Friday, OpenAI will host a hands-on hackathon using ChatGPT and Codex, where participants will learn how to structure complex social issues, analyze information and develop practical solutions with AI.

OpenAI said it plans to continue working with government agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations and other partners to support the use of AI in addressing social challenges and advancing the public good.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.