900 Million Weekly Users Drive OpenAI’s Education Expansion

With over 900 million weekly users engaging with its technologies, including more than 4 million using Codex, OpenAI is expanding its focus to education through the program. The initiative frames AI deployments as research partnerships designed to build an evidence base for safe and effective use, beginning with an initial cohort of geographically diverse nations. Estonia, Greece, Italy’s CRUI, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and Jordan are the first participants, collaborating with OpenAI on research-driven deployments and localized AI tools. A representative from Estonia’s Ministry of Education notes that “AI Leap and OpenAI have brought global AI expertise into the Estonian education system while also researching how these tools influence learning, thinking, and long-term skill development,” as the program seeks to understand AI’s impact on over 20,000 students in real classroom settings.

Education for Countries: Estonia & Initial Cohort Results

Launched at Davos earlier this year, the initiative is structured as a series of research partnerships designed to rigorously evaluate AI’s impact on learning and build an evidence base for safe and effective use. Estonia, a leader in digital technology, is spearheading a nationwide deployment of ChatGPT Edu through the AI Leap Foundation, reaching over 20,000 students and 4,600 teachers. OpenAI is collaborating with the University of Tartu and Stanford to assess how AI affects learning in real classroom settings and is committed to publicly sharing their findings. OpenAI believes that AI, including agents and tools like Codex, can support more personalized and proactive learning while strengthening critical thinking, independent learning, and the role of teachers. Early results across the initial cohort are promising; in Kazakhstan, over 84,000 educators have completed AI-readiness training, and 90 percent report ChatGPT Edu’s usefulness for their work. In Slovakia, preliminary university surveys indicate that over 90 percent of educators report increased productivity, saving approximately five hours per week, and the Ministry of Education leveraged Workspace Agents to expedite revisions to teacher professional standards. The program’s expansion now includes Singapore, where around 43 percent of ChatGPT usage by 18, 24 year olds is tied to learning and education.

These geographically diverse deployments prioritize understanding how AI tools affect learners and educators, building the evidence base for safe and effective use. This research extends beyond simple tool usage, encompassing investigations into how AI can support personalized learning and strengthen critical thinking skills. OpenAI intends to build on these early successes by launching OpenAI Luminaries, a new educator engagement track focused on co-design and sharing teacher-led examples across countries, solidifying its commitment to a teacher-first approach.

AI Literacy & Teacher Enablement Programs Expand Globally

OpenAI’s program is rapidly gaining momentum, driven by a substantial user base exceeding 900 million people using ChatGPT each week and more than 4 million using Codex, along with a commitment to building an evidence base for safe and effective use. The program’s reach extends beyond Europe, with deployments in Kazakhstan reporting over 84,000 educators completing AI-readiness training and 44,000 active educators sending 1.5 million prompts in the first month. In Jordan, the AI Education Assistant, Siraj, has engaged over 1 million students and 100,000 teachers as part of a national initiative.

Singapore Joins Program: Personalized Learning & AI Integration

Singapore’s inclusion in OpenAI’s program builds upon an existing foundation of substantial AI engagement among its young adults; around 43 percent of ChatGPT usage by 18, 24 year olds is tied to learning and education, indicating a receptive environment for deeper integration. This expansion isn’t simply about providing access to tools, but rather a deliberate effort to translate high levels of user activity into measurable improvements in educational outcomes and workforce preparedness. OpenAI is collaborating with Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and GovTech teams to develop use cases supporting personalized learning, with an initial focus on interactive approaches to mother tongue language acquisition. Each rollout is framed as a research partnership, allowing governments and educators to assess AI’s impact and refine its application.