OpenAI launches research program on economic impact of AI
OpenAI has launched the OpenAI Economic Research Exchange to support external research on the economic impact of AI
OpenAI has launched the OpenAI Economic Research Exchange, a new program for external researchers studying the economic impact of artificial intelligence, with applications open until 5 July 2026.
The program will support independent empirical research on how AI is affecting workers, firms, institutions, education, public services, and the wider economy. Selected projects will receive research funding, access to approved privacy-safe OpenAI product and usage data, and structured collaboration with OpenAI Economic Research.
Each selected project will receive a one-time $25,000 research grant for the principal investigator or investigators, plus $7,500 a month for research assistant stipend or contractor compensation.
The request for proposals was issued on 8 June 2026. OpenAI plans to notify selected researchers by 31 July.
The exchange is open to researchers with relevant expertise in areas including applied causal inference, measurement, labor economics, productivity, firms, education, entrepreneurship, public finance, regional economics, development, inequality, and related fields.
Research questions include education and workforce impact
The OpenAI Economic Research Exchange is seeking projects that start with an economic question and explain how approved OpenAI data or context could help answer it while preserving user privacy.
The research scope includes labor market effects, employer behavior, household welfare, unequal access to AI benefits, small businesses, public-sector use, innovation, market structure, and how to measure the economic value of AI.
Education is listed as one of the priority areas. OpenAI is seeking research on how teachers are using AI tools, whether their roles are changing or expanding, and how exposure to AI affects the choices students make about learning and career preparation.
Aaron Chatterji, Chief Economist of OpenAI and Distinguished Professor at Duke University, said in a LinkedIn post: "Today we're launching the OpenAI Economic Research Exchange, a new program for external researchers conducting independent research on the economic impacts of AI."
He added: "The goal is straightforward: support careful, high-quality empirical work on questions that matter for workers, firms, institutions, and the broader economy. The best proposals will start with an important economic question and make a concrete case for how approved, privacy-preserving OpenAI data or context could help answer it."
Funding and data access
OpenAI says selected researchers will work through structured, project-based collaborations with OpenAI Economic Research. Projects will have defined milestones, data governance, privacy safeguards, legal review, and security requirements.
The company says approved product and usage data will be available under non-disclosure agreements, subject to governance and privacy requirements. OpenAI also states in the request for proposals that it will not share conversation data.
The exchange will support short-term studies lasting two to six months and medium-term studies lasting six to 12 months. Applicants must specify which timeline their project targets and why that duration fits the research question.
Funded projects must include intermediate milestones, not only final papers. Researchers will be expected to complete onboarding and data-access steps before analysis begins, share interim findings with OpenAI Economic Research, participate in research read-outs or consortium discussions, and produce at least one written output.
Outputs may include a memo, working paper, draft publication, public brief, benchmark, or dataset documentation. External communication or publication will be coordinated through an agreed OpenAI review path.
Evaluation criteria and independence
Proposals will be assessed on relevance to OpenAI Economic Research priorities, methodological rigor, feasibility, clarity of milestones, fit with the exchange’s operating model, and potential to contribute credible external evidence on the economic impacts of AI.
OpenAI says it will prioritize proposals from researchers with a publication record in the research areas they propose and researchers with access to unique data that could support ambitious collaborations.
The request for proposals states that researchers will retain independence in study design and analysis. Public use of findings will be coordinated with OpenAI to support accuracy, privacy protection, legal compliance, and context.
Chatterji said: "We want this to be useful to the research community and to the public debate: rigorous methods, clear scope, strong privacy safeguards, and independence in study design and analysis."
Applications must be submitted through OpenAI’s proposal form, with additional information provided as a single Google Doc link. Proposals should be no more than three pages, excluding references and appendices, and are due by 5 July 2026.
