A structured education in artificial intelligence, free to anyone who wants it.
The material is already public. What remains scarce is guidance: a sequence worth following, and experienced mentors to work through it with. We provide both, from a first introduction through to the olympiad level.
Artificial Intelligence is shaping what comes next, and most of the raw material to learn it is already public.
Nothing about the information is scarce anymore.
Competitive AI is younger, and the path is still being built. That gap has a cost: progress too often depends on who already has guidance, not only on who is curious.
The work is real. The route should be clear, too.
Free, in the open, and run by the students walking the path themselves.
Curiosity is common. Clear guidance is not.
A good mentor does not need to have the whole field mapped out. They do need enough experience to spot dead ends early, suggest a next step that makes sense, and stay with you when the material gets confusing.
OpenGate is student-run and free, with mentors whose backgrounds reach into competition math, computer science, olympiad work, and research. Wherever you enter, you get the same three things: resources worth your time, people you can ask, and honest feedback on what you build.
Using AI carefully for real tasks, and knowing where its judgment runs out and yours has to take over.
The data science under the hype: what training data does, how classification works, and where bias enters.
Linear algebra, probability, optimization, and the matrix calculus that machine learning actually runs on.
Olympiad-style problems and contest practice, up through the USAAIO and the international selection rounds.
Reading current research, reproducing results, and working on the questions nobody has answered yet.
One meets students at their first introduction to AI. The other carries them through to the national olympiad. Both are free.
Weekend build events with mentors on hand, structured so that first-time participants finish a working project and receive written feedback on it.
In-person classes hosted with local libraries and schools, bringing our programs directly to students in their own communities.
Written notes on the higher-level material, from linear algebra through modern architectures, for seminars, reading groups, and self-study.
Developers, mentors, and chapter leads. If you can take an idea and build it into a program students will benefit from, we would like to hear from you.
Three commitments shape every program we run: our work stays free, students learn alongside one another, and progress is measured by the effort a student puts in rather than by the advantages they started with.
Information is already free. Guidance is the part that still costs money.
Almost everything you need to learn AI is online at no cost. What usually sits behind a price is the part that makes it stick: someone to answer the question, review your work, and tell you what to do next. That is precisely the part we provide free of charge.
Nobody should have to learn this alone.
AI can look intimidating from the outside, and the fastest way past that is other people. We would rather students compare notes than compare rankings, so our programs run on shared resources and questions asked openly.
Starting without a map is not the same as starting behind.
Getting into AI often means working without the established pipelines that competition math and computer science already have. Plenty of students invest real effort simply to reach the starting line. We count that effort as progress rather than treating it as a prerequisite.
We work across many projects, at every stage of the path. Our team brings together expertise across mathematics, web design, artificial intelligence, and competitive programming—spanning the local, national, and international stage.
Roster note: Because of recent member influx, this list may not yet include every current member.
Network leadership
2026 CAIO camper · USAAIO nationals medalist
Co-founded The OpenGate Network and wrote the camp curriculum from the ground up.
Network leadership
2026 USAAIO nationals gold medalist
Co-founded The OpenGate Network and builds the guide that came out of it.
2026 Team USA · IOAI
2026 Team USA · IOAI · IAIO gold medalist
2026 Team USA · IAIO honorable mention · USAAIO camper
2026 Team Canada · IAIO silver medalist
2026 USAAIO nationals medalist
Chapters, outreach, development, instruction, mentorship. Pick the one you would actually enjoy.
OpenGate has never charged a student for anything. That has been possible because the people running it pay for the hosting, the tooling and the camp materials themselves. That cost is real and it grows with every student who joins. A donation spreads it across everyone the network reaches, instead of leaving it with the few people building it.
The OpenGate Network is fiscally sponsored by Hack Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Their EIN is 81-2908499, and donations are tax deductible in the US.
Give from your phone
Point your camera at this code. Your card is already on the phone, so Apple Pay and Google Pay finish it in one tap instead of sixteen digits typed at a laptop.
