– Google launched its largest AI program in MENA, investing US$15 million by 2027 to provide AI skills, research funding, and AI-powered tools.
– The company equip 500,000 individuals with AI skills over two years, focusing on training, AI products, and infrastructure development.
– The initiative supports AI research in healthcare and climate, with local grants and partnerships, including a cloud infrastructure collaboration with Saudi Arabia.
Google has launched the AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), marking its largest AI program in the region, according to media reports.
This initiative aims to equip the region with essential AI skills, provide research funding, and increase access to AI-powered tools. Through its philanthropic arm, Google.org, Google plans to contribute USD 15 million by the end of 2027 to support organizations across the region, ensuring that AI opportunities are accessible to all, Mystartupworld website reported.
Research shows that AI and digital literacy must be accelerated to help more people compete in the growing AI-driven economy. According to the Economist Impact, AI is expected to add US$320 billion to MENA’s economic growth by 2030.
The AI Opportunity Initiative builds on Google’s efforts in the region, where it has trained three million people in digital skills since 2018. The new program aims to further empower 500,000 individuals over the next two years with critical AI knowledge. It encompasses AI skills development, research, AI products, and infrastructure.
AI Skills Development
Google is committed to inclusive AI education, introducing new educational programs focusing on AI safety and skills. A new AI curriculum in Arabic will be offered through Google’s ‘Maharat min Google’ and Coursera, providing training in areas like prompt engineering. Google.org will also fund Village Capital, a nonprofit supporting early-stage entrepreneurs, to provide AI upskilling for underserved communities, especially targeting women, youth, and rural workers across several countries in MENA.
Google will also advance responsible AI education in Arabic through the Experience AI program by Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind. The initiative will train teachers to educate students aged 11-14 in AI safety skills. This program will be implemented in partnership with Amideast in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
AI Research and Solutions
Since 2005, Google has invested over USD 400 million in academic research globally, and its new AI research fund will support MENA universities focusing on AI solutions in healthcare, climate change, and education. Google.org will also offer a grant to startAD, an accelerator in the UAE, to develop AI applications improving healthcare access for vulnerable populations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
AI-powered Products
Google continues to enhance Arabic-language AI tools, including the Gemini AI-powered personal assistant. New features for Gemini in Arabic include personalized AI experts, Gemini for Teens with safety checks, and image generation via Arabic prompts.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to cloud infrastructure in the region, partnering with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to expand its Dammam Google Cloud region and establish an AI hub. The partnership will focus on AI research in Arabic-language models and digital upskilling.
Speaking at Google’s AI Connect event, Ruth Porat, President and CIO of Alphabet and Google, emphasized the importance of AI for MENA’s economic future, projecting that AI could contribute $320 billion to the region’s growth by 2030. Porat highlighted the expansion of the Maharat min Google program with a new AI curriculum in Arabic, reinforcing Google’s aim to bring AI opportunities to all communities across the region.
Google’s AI products, including Search, Play, YouTube, Cloud, and advertising tools, generated US$12.8 billion in economic activity in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2023 and are projected to reach US$14.2 billion in 2024.
Partner organizations like Village Capital, the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and startAD have praised the initiative, emphasizing its potential to unlock new opportunities and drive innovation across MENA by providing crucial AI skills and resources to underserved communities.
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