Heinz College and NobleReach Foundation Create AI for Public Service Open-Source Curriculum

Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy recently partnered with NobleReach Foundation to create an open-source curriculum for AI in public service, an element of the Open Forum for AI (OFAI). 

“We are deeply inspired by NobleReach Foundation’s vision and their continued support,” said Ramayya Krishnan, Dean of Heinz College. “The foundation’s partnership will allow Heinz College to develop a curriculum for AI in public service. Once completed, it will be available to OFAI member organizations and help prepare students for AI roles in the public sector.”

With funding and program support from the social change venture Omidyar Network, NobleReach and CMU’s Libraries, the university launched OFAI in July 2024. The program builds capacity and understanding for human-centered AI to move toward augmented intelligence. Building upon its leadership within OFAI, CMU will develop an open education curriculum to meet the needs of public sector organizations while supporting OFAI member institutions.

“AI has enormous potential to deliver positive societal impact, strengthen our innovation ecosystem and drive American prosperity and security on the global stage. But to realize it, we must inspire the next generation of AI talent to use their skills in support of the public good,” said Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach. “Heinz College’s leadership in fostering mission-drive IA talent through this unique entrepreneurial curriculum – as well as their support for programs like NobleReach Scholars – helps students explore public service and become lifelong ambassadors as public service changemakers.”

CMU will offer OFAI member institutions course overviews to support further development of talent programs at their respective institutions. In strong partnership with the NobleReach Foundation, CMU will develop, package, and share an open-source curriculum on topics including Introduction to AI, Fundamentals of Operationalizing AI, Responsible AI, and Generative AI.

While specific courses offered through OFAI will evolve, the curriculum will be packaged and provide the foundation for certificate programs or similar academic programs aiming to cultivate AI-skills in support of public sector outcomes. The open-source content will be available on a platform to enable information sharing, permitting best practice sharing to occur at scale as the content is made available in open source and adopted by other universities.

“OFAI promotes open innovation through research, technical prototypes, community engagement, and policy recommendations,” said Sayeed Choudhury, Executive Director of OFAI. “We are proud to support the development of this new curriculum and look forward to the contributions that will be made in this rapidly evolving field.”

OFAI encompasses a multi-university partnership including George Washington University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Texas-Austin. Additional OFAI partners include the Open-Source Initiative and Atlantic Council, which provide legal and policy expertise. OFAI fellows, including individuals from Microsoft, GitHub, Cerebras, Benhamou Global Ventures, and the U.S. Navy, provide perspectives from the private and government sectors.

The new curriculum is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2025.