OpenAI expands investment in mental health safety research
The new programme by OpenAI supports external researchers working on culturally grounded mental health topics, emphasising improved evaluation, ethical datasets and guidance for future AI behaviour.
Yesterday, OpenAI launched a new grant programme to support external research on the connection between AI and mental health.
An initiative that aims to expand independent inquiry into how people express distress, how AI interprets complex emotional signals and how different cultures shape the language used to discuss sensitive experiences.
OpenAI also hopes that broader participation will strengthen collective understanding, rather than keeping progress confined to internal studies.
The programme encourages interdisciplinary work that brings together technical specialists, mental health professionals and people with lived experience. OpenAI is seeking proposals that can offer clear outputs, such as datasets, evaluation methods, or practical insights, that improve safety and guidance.
Researchers may focus on patterns of distress in specific communities, the influence of slang and vernacular, or the challenges that appear when mental health symptoms manifest in ways that current systems fail to recognise.
The grants also aim to expand knowledge of how providers use AI within care settings, including where tools are practical, where limitations appear and where risks emerge for users.
Additional areas of interest include how young people respond to different tones or styles, how grief is expressed in language and how visual cues linked to body image concerns can be interpreted responsibly.
OpenAI emphasises that better evaluation frameworks, ethical datasets and annotated examples can support safer development across the field.
Applications are open until 19 December, with decisions expected by mid-January. The programme forms part of OpenAI’s broader effort to invest in well-being and safety research, offering financial support to independent teams working across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts.
The company argues that expanding evidence and perspectives will contribute to a more secure and supportive environment for future AI systems.
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