$50M Gift to Boost UChicago AI Faculty and Research

On April 2, the University of Chicago announced a $50 million gift from Trustee Rika Mansueto, AB'91, and Joe Mansueto, AB'78, MBA'80, to accelerate its ambitious artificial intelligence agenda.

The gift will launch the Mansueto Faculty of Mind and Machine Challenge, which seeks to raise nearly $200 million to recruit, retain, and support 20 leading scholars across disciplines——while also fostering investments in the broader academic ecosystem of research and education on mind and machine.

Recently, UChicago launched an ambitious AI initiative that supported 15 faculty and staff proposals — 10 groups focused on AI and research, and 5 groups focused on AI and education. The Mansuetos' gift builds directly upon this initiative and reflects the University's broader ambition: to develop an interdisciplinary model that advances discovery, knowledge, and human flourishing in the AI era.

Rather than confining AI to a single department, the gift will support computational-focused research and education across the entire University—teaching students how to think with, without, and about machines—while enabling faculty to open new lines of inquiry around AI. The scholars supported through this challenge may work in fields ranging from the arts and humanities to the social sciences, medicine, economics, business, law, and beyond, advancing a holistic approach where questions of human intelligence, creativity, and responsibility are considered alongside technical innovation. In some cases, these faculty will hold joint appointments in computer science, mathematics, or statistics.

With this latest gift, the Mansuetos' lifetime commitment to UChicago exceeds $117 million, including their earlier support for the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. The new faculty challenge is expected to fund 20 scholars over the coming years, ensuring that the university’s tradition of rigorous, cross‑disciplinary inquiry shapes the future of AI.