DUBAI: Google has announced the launch of the AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa, marking its biggest AI initiative in the region. This initiative aims to provide essential AI skills, research funding, and access to valuable AI products.

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Through Google.org, its philanthropic arm, the tech giant will contribute $15 million between now and 2027 to ensure that everyone benefits from AI advancements. Recent studies highlight a pressing need to enhance AI and digital literacy, especially as AI is projected to add $320 billion to MENA’s economy by 2030.

Building on its commitment to the region, where it has trained three million people in digital skills since 2018, Google plans to empower half a million individuals with critical AI skills in the next two years.

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The initiative includes several key components:

  • AI Skills Building: Google aims to create inclusive training opportunities. A new Arabic-language AI curriculum will be introduced, allowing people to learn essential skills like prompt engineering. Grants will also support non-profits to help underserved communities, focusing on women, youth, and migrants across various MENA countries.
  • AI Research & Solutions: Google will launch an AI Research Fund to support local universities, targeting AI solutions for healthcare, climate change, and education. They will also back AI-powered healthcare projects for vulnerable populations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
  • AI-Powered Features in Arabic: New features for Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, will be available in Arabic, including personalized AI experts and an age-appropriate experience for teens.
  • Investments in Infrastructure: Google reaffirmed its commitment to expanding cloud infrastructure in the region, partnering with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to establish an AI hub.

Ruth Porat, President of Alphabet and Google, emphasized the importance of these efforts to equip communities with skills for the growing digital economy.