aiEDU Announces $200,000 Gift from Griffin Catalyst

December 18, 2023 — The AI Education Project (aiEDU), a leading nonprofit dedicated to creating equitable AI learning experiences, today announced a gift of $200,000 from Griffin Catalyst, civic engagement initiative of Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, encompassing his philanthropic and community impact efforts. The gift will help scale aiEDU's mission to expand access to AI literacy in K12 schools across the United States at a moment when generative AI and large language models are poised to redefine our society and economy. 

The announcement was made in conjunction with the launch of the first installment of the “CANDID: Smithsonian Conversations” dinner series, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution in partnership with Griffin Catalyst at the historic Arts & Industries Building. Moderated by Chris Wallace, host of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? on Max and The Chris Wallace Show on CNN, the dinner’s conversation focused on “American Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” 

"The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence underscores the urgency for our education system to keep pace. This is particularly crucial for underserved communities at risk of lagging behind during this transformative era,” said Alex Kotran, co-founder and CEO of aiEDU. “This generous donation exemplifies how the business sector can galvanize civil society to address this challenge head-on." 

With a vision that everyone — especially those most impacted by AI systems — should possess the knowledge and skills to thrive in an AI-driven world, aiEDU strives to be a beacon of AI readiness in America.

Learn more about Griffin Catalyst at griffincatalyst.org.