Google has announced that it will invest $1 billion in AI literacy programmes, research funding and cloud computing resources at US universities.
The investment includes the launch of the Google AI for Education Accelerator, an initiative to offer free AI training and Google Career Certificates to every college student in America.
Over 100 public universities, including the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, the University of Virginia and the University Systems in Texas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania have already signed up to the scheme.
Google said it is inviting all accredited non-profit colleges and universities in the US to apply.
The move builds on the company’s work to make Gemini for Education available to students and educators at educational institutions around the world at no additional cost.
Google claims that over 80 per cent of the top 100 US universities use Google Workspace for Education, which gives them access to Google’s best AI purpose-built for schools.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and its parent company Alphabet, said the move was “deeply important” to him, as having regular access to computers in grad school changed his life and led him on the path to Google.
He added that he hopes that bringing AI tools to students will open up “new worlds” for them.
“Today’s students are the first true generation of ‘AI natives’ and they’ll use these models in ways none of us can predict, whether it’s learning things in new ways or creating new types of jobs we haven’t imagined yet,” he continued. “It’s still early days and there will be important questions ahead.
“That’s why we’re working with institutions across higher education to ensure student success.”
Earlier this week, Google partnered with NatWest Group to provide start-ups in the UK with AI tools and training.
The collaboration will see Google Cloud support entrepreneurs on NatWest’s Accelerator with access to AI tools, cloud technology, and expert training, which NatWest said will equip the next generation of UK innovators with the digital skills needed to unlock business growth.
