Netflix cofounder donates $50 million for AI and Humanity scholarships

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has gifted $50 million to Bowdoin College, launching the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity. This historic donation supports AI-focused faculty, research, and ethical education, shaping thoughtful future leaders.

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has made headlines recently with a transformative $50 million donation to Bowdoin College, his alma mater. Announced in March 2025, this extraordinary gift is the largest in Bowdoin’s 231-year history and is earmarked for a groundbreaking initiative called the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity. Hastings, who graduated from Bowdoin in 1983 with a degree in mathematics and later earned a master’s in artificial intelligence from Stanford, aims to advance the college’s mission by embedding artificial intelligence deeply within its academic and ethical framework. This initiative is designed to prepare students and faculty to navigate and shape a future profoundly influenced by AI technologies.

The Hastings Initiative intends to fund significant academic growth at Bowdoin, starting with the hiring of ten new faculty members across multiple disciplines. These hires will help incorporate AI perspectives into a broad range of teaching, research, and artistic work. Additionally, the program will support current faculty to innovate and interrogate AI’s impact through workshops, symposia, and student research opportunities. The goal is to cultivate leaders who are not only tech-savvy but also deeply thoughtful about AI’s ethical dimensions, ensuring that technological advancements serve humanity’s core values rather than undermine them. Hastings himself has expressed a call for ‘deep thinking’ to keep humanity flourishing as AI continues to grow more powerful than human intelligence. He acknowledges this as a crucial moment to engage seriously with the ethical and social challenges AI presents.

Bowdoin College President Safa Zaki, a cognitive scientist, highlighted the importance of this initiative by emphasizing how liberal arts education can provide vital ethical frameworks in an AI-driven world. The initiative will explore fundamental questions such as what human cognition we value and what roles AI should play in society. Zaki stressed that Bowdoin’s commitment to the common good makes it uniquely positioned to lead discussions on how AI should be developed and used responsibly. She reinforced that ethics, values, and human understanding must guide AI’s advancement to shape new societal norms beneficial for all. The college's intellectual community, enriched by this generous endowment, is now equipped to tackle these profound questions at the intersection of technology and humanity.

Reed Hastings’ journey to this moment is marked by a longstanding dedication to education and social impact. Beyond Netflix, which he co-founded in 1997 and led as CEO for 25 years, Hastings has been an active philanthropic leader focusing on education. He previously served on the California State Board of Education and remains involved with several educational organizations. His early academic interest in AI was sparked by a college professor’s encouragement, and his subsequent career and philanthropy reflect a consistent passion for both technology and its ethical implications. This new initiative at Bowdoin is a continuation of his lifelong commitment to harnessing education as a force for societal good, especially in the face of transformative technologies.

This gift and initiative also arrive amid a global surge in attention to AI’s rapid evolution and its wide-ranging impacts. Hastings has publicly warned that the AI revolution will be far more significant than the social networking changes of the past decades, making early and proactive engagement essential. By investing in interdisciplinary education and dialogue about AI’s role, Bowdoin and Hastings hope to empower a generation of thoughtful leaders who can harness AI's potential while safeguarding humanity’s future. This initiative highlights the vital synergy between technological innovation and the humanities, aiming to create a balance that respects ethical considerations alongside scientific advancement.

In sum, Reed Hastings’ $50 million donation to Bowdoin College marks a historic and visionary investment in artificial intelligence education at a liberal arts institution. The Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity represents a pioneering effort to integrate AI knowledge with ethical inquiry, preparing students, faculty, and society at large to lead wisely in a world increasingly shaped by intelligent machines. As AI continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace, this initiative underscores the necessity of grounding technological progress in human values and wisdom, ensuring that the future benefits all members of society.