TL;DR

OpenAI is expanding efforts to convince global governments to build more data centres and encourage AI adoption in education, health and disaster preparedness. The OpenAI for Countries initiative now has 11 nations signed up, with former UK Chancellor George Osborne overseeing the project.

Closing the Global AI Gap

OpenAI is launching a major international initiative to expand the reach of its products and help close the gap between countries with broad AI access and nations lacking capacity. The initiative, called OpenAI for Countries, is being pitched to government officials at Davos this week.

“Most countries are still operating far short of what today’s AI systems make possible,” the company said in a report shared with Reuters.

Former British finance minister George Osborne was appointed to oversee the project in December. Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, is leading government engagement alongside Osborne.

Tailored National Partnerships

Eleven countries have signed up for OpenAI for Countries, with each deal structured differently to meet national priorities.

Estonia is embedding ChatGPT Edu into secondary schools across the country. In Norway and the United Arab Emirates, OpenAI is working with partners to build data centres, becoming their first customer. In South Korea, OpenAI is exploring a deal with the government’s water authority to build a real-time water-disaster warning and defence system to address climate change risks.

Untapped Potential

OpenAI’s research suggests significant variation in how intensively people use AI tools. The company’s “power users” in the 95th percentile reach for advanced reasoning capabilities seven times more often than typical users. In Singapore, users send more than three times more messages about coding than the global average.

Looking Forward

For UK businesses, this initiative highlights the growing strategic importance governments place on AI capability. As nations compete to build AI infrastructure and skills, organisations should consider how international AI developments may affect their competitive landscape and access to AI talent and resources.