ChatGPT
Futures
Class of
2026
The next generation of AI leaders
One of the clearest ways to see where AI is going is to ask the next generation how they are using it today.
The Class of 2026 will be the first graduating class to have ChatGPT on hand for their entire university experience. This generation embraced ChatGPT early, sharing the tool with their parents and siblings, friends, and teachers.
Across hundreds of conversations with students and recent graduates, we saw the same pattern again and again: they are using AI not just to study, but to build, research, create, and expand what is possible to them.
ChatGPT Futures celebrates 26 young people and teams showing what becomes possible when the next generation has powerful tools in hand.
Each selected individual or team in the inaugural class of ChatGPT Futures will be awarded a $10,000 grant and access to our most cutting-edge technologies to move their ideas forward.
Creators
Jamie Palmer, 26
Ethan Barajas, 22
Building the robotic labor force for space
Celeste Amadon, 22
Asher Allen, 22
Built an AI matchmaker that gets 70% of users a first date
Michelle Lawson, 20
Turned CS explainer videos into a 12,000-member nonprofit
Kyle Scenna, 24
Building AI products from tax software to healthcare tools
Nayel Rehman, 18
Arhan Menta, 18
Rushil Kukreja, 19
Detecting disaster survivors through walls and debris using AI
Nolan Windham, 23
Established a hedge fund’s internal AI program
Ethan Chiu, 21
Synthesized intelligence into briefs for U.S. national security leaders
Explorers
Ayush Noori, 23
Transforming the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease
Charlotte Rosario, 19
Turned her personal loss into AI research and tools for mental health
Rishab Jain, 21
Improved how drugs are made, reimagining healthcare
Thomas Pruyn, 24
Amro Aswad, 25
Sartaaj Khan, 25
Built a knowledge graph to connect carbon-capture materials research
Matteo Paz, 19
Mapped 1.5M previously unknown objects in space
Seyone Chithrananda, 23
Built one of the most widely used AI models for chemistry
Nolan Koblischke, 25
Made 100M+ galaxy images searchable with AI
Adib Fallahpour, 21
Parsa Idehpour, 22
Helping thousands of researchers predict functions of unknown proteins
Ethan Truong, 19
Earned his pilot’s license faster using ChatGPT for practice
Advocates
Amrita Bhasin, 25
Built infrastructure to reroute 5M+ pounds of unsold inventory from landfills
Anshi Bhatt, 19
Helping 18K+ people avoid online scams
Zeyneb Kaya, 19
Preserving endangered languages using AI
Praja Tickoo, 20
Jack Patel, 21
William Sanz, 20
Eliminating the bottleneck for case managers in Philadelphia
Shraman Kar, 19
Making learning accessible through videos in dozens of languages
Grace Fokam, 21
Using AI to prevent crop loss before it starts
Crystal Yang, 18
Building audio-first learning games for 200,000 blind and visually impaired students
Daira Velasquez Fonseca, 20
Helping Latin American street vendors manage their finances
Saeed Naeem, 24
Senan Khawaja, 24
Scaled an AI college counselor to students in 190 countries
Fatimah Hussain, 20
Chloe Hughes, 22
Matching students with personalized scholarships to afford college