The University of Chicago has been given $50 million by Joe and Rika Mansueto for a multidisciplinary AI initiative. The gift comes with a challenge to raise up to $200 million for the new effort.gettyThe University of Chicago has been given $50 million by two of its alumni — Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto and his wife Rika — for a new interdisciplinary push in artificial intelligence. The gift will establish the Mansueto Faculty of Mind and Machine Challenge, involving the addition and support of “20 leading scholars from a wide range of fields who are exemplary in the use of the computational lens of thought in their disciplines,” according to a university news release. The gift is being fashioned as a challenge to other private donors with the aim of raising up to $200 million to support the development of “an interdisciplinary model to advance discovery, knowledge, and human flourishing in the AI era.” It’s intended to build upon the university’s existing AI Initiative, which supports AI-driven research in fields such as archaeology, visual arts, public policy, natural sciences, economics, law, and oncology as well as projects focused on AI and education. “This extraordinary commitment reflects Rika and Joe Mansueto’s deep belief in the University of Chicago’s distinctive approach to inquiry—one that prizes groundbreaking scholarship, intellectual freedom and dialogue across disciplines,” said University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos, in the release. “This is a signal period in intellectual history, and this gift will greatly advance the University as it seeks to shape advances in human thought during this era of AI and machine learning.”Rather than being focused on a single department or school, the gift will support faculty whose AI work spans multiple disciplines, addressing questions about human intelligence, creativity and responsibility in addition to advancing knowledge about the technology and its applications. It is expected that some of the new faculty will hold joint appointments in computer science, mathematics and statistics.“For me, the University of Chicago has always stood for a particular way of thinking—rigorous, curious and unafraid to ask fundamental questions,” said Rika Mansueto, in the release. “As artificial intelligence reshapes nearly every field, it’s essential that this work be grounded not just in technical excellence, but in a deep understanding of human judgment, responsibility and purpose. MORE FOR YOUJoe Mansueto said that the most important breakthroughs in AI won’t come from technology alone. Instead, he said, “they will come from institutions that insist on asking bigger questions—about how intelligence works, how humans and machines interact, and how innovation can serve society responsibly."About Rika and Joe MansuetoRika Mansueto earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago in 1991. She currently is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and has been an active advocate on behalf of several nonprofits, including prior service on the boards of Teach for America of Chicago-Northwest Indiana and the Francis W. Parker School. Joe Mansueto received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1978, followed by his MBA in 1980. He is the founder and executive chairman of Morningstar, the financial investment research company he launched in 1984. Mansueto, whose net wealth Forbes has pegged at $4.6 billion, is the owner of the Chicago Fire professional soccer team. The Mansuetos signed The Giving Pledge in 2010, committing to give away at least half of their wealth to charities and other philanthropic causes. The couple has made several major gifts to the University of Chicago previously, including a $35 million donation in 2016 to create an institute to study urban innovation. In 2008, they pledged $25 million to expand the university’s library, resulting in the construction of the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. According to the news release, the Mansuetos’ lifetime giving to the University of Chicago now exceeds $117 million.The Mansueto gift represents the second $50 million donation from a member of the University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees in just the past few weeks. Last month, David M. Rubenstein, Chair of UChicago’s Board, gave the school $50 million to renovate and modernize Ida Noyes Hall, a well-known campus building that was built in 1916.