Google announces AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa

Google on Thursday announced the AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East & North Africa, its largest AI initiative in the region, that will provide essential AI skills, research funding and access to helpful AI products.

Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, is planning to contribute $15 million, between this year and the end of 2027, through funding to organisations across the region to ensure the opportunities created by AI reach everyone.

Recent research indicates a need to accelerate AI and digital literacy to help more people become competitive in an AI-first economy and workforce. According to the Economist Impact, the potential economic impact of AI on Mena’s economic growth is an estimated $320 billion by 2030.

The AI Opportunity Initiative for Mena will build on Google's long-standing commitment to the region, where it has trained three million people on core digital skills since 2018. This new initiative aims to further empower half a million individuals within two years with critical AI skills. Google’s AI Opportunity Initiative for Mena will include AI skills building, research, products and infrastructure.

Google is committed to creating inclusive education and training opportunities for everyone to learn, grow and contribute to a better economy. Google is announcing new educational programs and curriculums covering AI and safety skills.

A new Arabic language AI-training curriculum under Google's digital skills programme in Arabic ‘Maharat min Google’ and Coursera will equip people with AI skills like prompt engineering.

Google.org is providing a grant to Village Capital, a nonprofit organisation that unlocks early-stage social and financial capital for entrepreneurs developing solutions to environmental, social, and economic challenges. Village Capital will receive a grant to equip Business Support Organisations (BSOs), enabling them to provide AI upskilling opportunities to underserved workers. The programme focuses on reaching women, youth, migrants, and those in rural areas across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Iraq.

The Experience AI program, created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a global charity empowering young people through computing, and Google DeepMind, will be offered in Arabic. Raspberry Pi Foundation will use grant funding from Google.org to train teachers on AI Literacy, to equip their students in the region (aged 11-14 yrs) with AI safety skills to better understand and navigate the challenges of AI technologies. In the UAE and Saudi this will be run in partnership with Amideast.

Since 2005, Google has invested over USD 400 million in academic research globally. In Mena, Google will support the development of helpful AI solutions by local universities and startups.

A new fund by Google.org will support local university researchers in the region focusing on AI solutions for healthcare, climate change, education and beyond.

Google.org will offer a grant to startAD, the startup accelerator powered by Tamkeen and anchored at New York University Abu Dhabi, to identify and develop AI-powered applications that help provide healthcare access for vulnerable populations in the UAE & the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including senior citizens, disadvantaged youth, and people from low-income backgrounds.

Gemini, Google’s AI-powered personal assistant, launched in Arabic in July 2023 and understands over 16 Arabic dialects. To continue supporting helpful products in Arabic, Google is releasing new features for Gemini in Arabic, including:

• Gems on Gemini in Arabic allows users to create personalised AI experts for various tasks, including career and learning guidance, brainstorming, editing and coding support. The feature is available for Gemini Advanced users.

• Gemini for Teens is a dedicated and age-appropriate experience for users under the age of 18, with features like double-check response, which helps evaluate whether there’s content across the web to substantiate Gemini’s responses.

• Imagen3 in Arabic enables Image generation using Arabic language prompts.

• Gemini Live in Arabic is a free-flowing conversational experience that allows users to chat with Gemini on mobile. The feature is available on Android devices.

Google reconfirmed its continued investment in cloud infrastructure in the region to meet customer demands for Cloud services through Google Cloud data regions in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Google Cloud announced a partnership with Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia to expand the existing Dammam Google Cloud region with an AI hub to support global customers.

Additionally, the partnership will advance AI research in Arabic-language models and will provide AI and digital upskilling programs to help create highly-skilled jobs and opportunities for global businesses to fuel growth through cloud adoption.

Speaking at the Google AI Connect Event, Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer for Alphabet and Google, said: “Google’s long standing investments in the Middle East and North Africa have helped equip people and organisations with the connectivity, innovation, and skilling required to thrive in the global digital economy. AI is estimated to contribute $320 billion in economic growth for the Middle East by 2030, and Google is working to ensure that people and communities throughout the region have the skills needed to capture the upside of this emerging technology. With today’s announcement, we are expanding the Maharat min Google program to offer a new AI curriculum in Arabic. Our local nonprofit and university partners will help bring this program to people and communities throughout the region, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that AI can deliver.”

According to research conducted by Public First, Google’s products including Search, Play, YouTube, Cloud and Google's advertising tools have helped provide $12.8 billion of economic activity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia last year, and are expected to provide a total of $14.2 billion in 2024.

The AI Connect event, held at the Etihad Museum was attended by His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications, as well as hundreds of people representing government, business leaders, developers and entrepreneurs.

“We are excited about the potential of this initiative to support communities across the region. By equipping local Business Support Organisations with the tools, training, and mentorship they need, we are creating a ripple effect that will drive innovation and economic opportunities. This initiative is about unlocking new pathways for underserved populations, enabling them to shape the future with cutting-edge AI skills, says Allie Burns, CEO of Village Capital.

“We are delighted to welcome Amideast to our Experience AI global network of partners. Working together, we look forward to equipping teachers with the skills needed to teach AI confidently, ensuring it’s both engaging and relevant for their students. Through the partnership, we aim to ensure that young people in the UAE and Saudi Arabia develop a foundational understanding of AI technologies and the role that they can play in their lives." says Philip Colligan, CEO, Raspberry Pi Foundation.

"Our vision at startAD aligns perfectly with Google's mission to harness AI as a force for good. Together, we're building a foundation for long-term AI-enabled impact, focusing on crucial areas like healthcare, sustainability, and economic empowerment. This initiative marks a pivotal step in a larger movement, one where AI's potential is realized not just for technological advancement but for creating a more equitable and prosperous future for all", says Rami Aljundi, Assistant Director of Innovation Programs.

• Google's largest AI initiative in the region aims to equip half a million individuals in the first two years - including students, academics, developers, entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups - with essential AI skills, by working with local partners and Google.org funded organisations.

• Google.org is planning to contribute a total of $15 million between this year and the end of 2027.

• Announcement includes new Gemini features for Arabic speaking users, Google's generative AI offering.