- 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.
- 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.
OpenAI's partnership with the CMK Social Welfare Innovation Leaders Academy in Korea aims to train 30 young social welfare professionals in AI applications. The program, supported by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation and Seoul National University, focuses on developing practical skills to address social challenges.235
Participants, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as early-career professionals, will engage in two overnight training sessions at Seoul National University. Following this, they will undertake a three-month action-learning project to apply their skills in real-world scenarios.
The curriculum covers critical areas such as policy design for emerging social risks, mental health, and AI-driven innovation in social welfare services. OpenAI will also host a hands-on hackathon on July 25, 2026, utilizing ChatGPT and Codex to help participants analyze social issues and develop solutions.6
“The practical signal for public-sector AI teams is narrow but useful,” noted experts, emphasizing the importance of structured training over generic awareness campaigns. However, the program's impact may be limited due to its small cohort size and the need for evidence that training translates into effective workflows.
As the initiative progresses, stakeholders will be watching for published project outputs and any reusable templates that emerge from the action-learning phase, which could indicate the program's success in transforming social welfare practices.
“The academy is organized by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, Seoul National University's Institute of Social Welfare, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. OpenAI will host a July 25 hackathon using ChatGPT and Codex for the 30 selected participants to structure social problems and develop solutions.”
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