Humanity AI unveils $18M in grants for public-interest AI
What's the deal? The Humanity AIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → initiative has announced $18 million in grants to fund organisations working to keep artificial intelligence development focused on people and the public interest. The inaugural group of grantees, unveiled on May 12, 2026, spans AI governance, public education, policy research, journalism, community participation, and accountability.
What's the endgame? Humanity AI wants communities to be more than consumers of AI. It aims to give them a meaningful say in how these systems are designed and governed.
Where the money goes: Grants support several strands of work. AI civics targets public literacy and community decision-making; policy research and journalism aim to examine AI's effects and hold developers accountable; grassroots funding seeks to give communities a voice in governance.
Why now? AI is rapidly shaping how people work, communicate, and access information. As adoption expands, questions around accountability, governance, and public participation have grown more pressing.
The signal: The grants point to a growing philanthropic push to build a field of people-centred AI, one that sits alongside — and scrutinises — the commercial race to deploy the technology.
Read more: Global South Opportunities
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
