Cosmos Grants: Fast funding for AI prototypes

Cosmos Grants: Fast funding for AI prototypes is sponsored by Institute for Humane Studies (IHS). This grant provides fast funding for early prototypes of AI that strengthens human autonomy and truth-seeking. It aims to accelerate research with AI in humanities and social sciences.

FIRE and Cosmos Institute launch $1 million grant program for AI that advances truth-seeking | The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Previewed by Bari Weiss at the FIRE and Free Press debate, the $1M in grants will fund open-source AI projects that defend free thought.

AUSTIN, Texas, May 16, 2025 — The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the Cosmos Institute today announced the Truth-Seeking AI Grants Program, a new $1 million initiative to fund open-source projects that build freedom into the foundations of AI, rather than censorship or control.

Truth-seeking AI: Why it matters Truth-seeking AI is artificial intelligence built to expand the marketplace of ideas and sharpen human inquiry — not replace it. AI already drafts our sentences, sorts our inbox, and cues our next song. But the technology is advancing rapidly.

Soon, it could determine which ideas ever reach our minds — or form within them. Two futures lie ahead, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. In one, AI becomes a shadow censor.

Hidden ranking rules throttle dissent, liability fears chill speech, and flattering prompts dull judgment until people stop asking “why. ” That is algorithmic tyranny. In the other, AI works as a partner in truth-seeking: it surfaces counter-arguments, flags open questions, and prompts us to check the evidence and our biases.

Errors are chipped away, knowledge grows, and our freedom — and habit — to question not only survives but thrives. To ensure we build AI tools and platforms for freedom, not control, Cosmos and FIRE are putting $1 million in grants on the table to ensure the future of AI is free. “AI guides a fifth of our waking hours.

The builders of these systems now hold the future of free thought and expression in their hands. We’re giving them the capital, computing resources, and community they need to seize that opportunity,” said Brendan McCord , founder and chair of Cosmos Institute. “The First Amendment restrains governments, but the principles of free speech must also be translated into code.

We’re challenging builders to do exactly that and prioritize freedom over control,” said Greg Lukianoff , president and CEO of FIRE. “AI can already steer our thoughts. The future is AI that expands them, not controls them,” added Philipp Koralus , founding director, Oxford HAI Lab and Senior Research Fellow at Cosmos Institute.

Grant pool: $1 million (cash + compute); compute credits are from Prime Intellect , a platform for open, decentralized AI development Typical award: $1k – $10k fast grants; larger amounts considered for standout ideas Rolling review: decisions in ~3 weeks; applications open May 16 at CosmosGrants.

org/truth Sprint timeline: 90 days to ship a working prototype Community: access to a vetted network of builders, mentors, and advisors at the AI and philosophy frontier Showcase: Top projects funded by Nov 1, 2025 will be invited to demo at the Austin AI x Free Speech Symposium in December 2025; selection is competitive and at the program’s discretion Marketplace of Ideas — projects that preserve viewpoint diversity and open debate.

Promoting Inquiry — systems that actively provoke new questions, surfacing counter-arguments and open issues that require more study. Bold New Concepts — any approach that pushes AI toward the role of truth-seeking partner. We’re focused on prototypes that translate philosophy to code — embedding truth-seeking principles like Mill’s Trident and Socratic inquiry directly into open-source software.

Possible projects could include: AI challenger that pokes holes in your assumptions and coaches you forward An open debate arena where swappable models argue under a live crowd score A tamper-proof logbook that records every answer on a public ledger.

About the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty.

FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for them, and provides the means to preserve them. Learn more at www. thefire.

org . Cosmos Institute is a 501(c)(3) academy for philosopher-builders — technologists who unite deep reflection with practical engineering. Through research, fellowships, grants, and education, Cosmos advances human flourishing by translating philosophy to code across three pillars: truth-seeking, decentralization, and human autonomy.

The Institute supported the creation of the new Human-Centered AI Lab at the University of Oxford , the first lab dedicated to embedding flourishing principles in open-source AI. Learn more at www. cosmos-institute.

org . Karl de Vries, Director of Media Relations, FIRE karl. de.

vries@thefire. org | +1 215-717-3473 Florida wants public colleges out of politics. But a loophole in its neutrality plan could give administrators a new license to speak out.

Payment comes after federal appeals court held university violated Professor Stuart Reges' academic freedom rights A California court just held what Jefferson knew in 1798, that the government cannot deport people for their opinions, however much it hates them. Hong Kong jails Tiananmen memorial organizers, China imprisons an artist for mocking Mao, and Beijing's censorship reaches London and Texas.

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