AI Opportunity Initiative Expands to MENA Region

The potential impact of AI on the Middle East and North Africa's (MENA) economy is huge, with an estimated value addition of over $320 billion by 2030, according to the Economist Impact Report. But to really take advantage of what AI has to offer, we've got to make sure people have the skills they need to thrive. And we believe that the best way to do this is through teamwork and working hand-in-hand with organizations throughout the region to improve lives and communities.

Just last week, we kicked off the AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East & North Africa, which is our biggest AI project in the area yet. It's all about giving people the AI skills they need, funding research, and making sure everyone can access useful AI tools. Google.org, the charitable side of Google, is set to chip in $15 million from now until the end of 2027. This money will go to various organizations across the region to make sure AI's benefits reach everyone.

This initiative is a continuation of our dedication to the region, where, together with local partners, we've been able to train 3 million folks on essential digital skills since 2018. Now, with this new initiative, we're aiming to empower another half a million people with crucial AI skills within the next two years.

AI Trainings Across the Region

As part of the AI Opportunity Initiative for MENA, we're rolling out a new Arabic-language AI training program under Google's digital skills initiative "Maharat min Google" and Coursera. This program is all about teaching people AI skills like prompt engineering.

Since AI skills should be available to everyone, especially underserved communities, Google.org is giving a grant to Village Capital. They'll use it to help Business Support Organizations (BSOs) in places like Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE train workers on AI skills.

Earlier this year, we introduced Experience AI, an educational program developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind, which focuses on AI literacy. It's now available in Arabic, too. Thanks to funding from Google.org, the Raspberry Pi Foundation will train teachers on AI Literacy, helping them prepare their students (aged 11-14) in the region to safely navigate AI technologies. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, this will be done in collaboration with Amideast.

AI Research and Applied Solutions to Address Social Challenges

We're committed to funding important research worldwide, and as part of the AI Initiative for MENA, we're setting up a new fund to back local university researchers. Their focus will be on developing AI solutions for challenges in healthcare, climate change, education, and more.

Google.org is also providing a grant to the New York University Abu Dhabi's startAD program, a startup accelerator, to help develop AI-powered applications that improve healthcare access for vulnerable groups in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including senior citizens, disadvantaged youth, and people from low-income backgrounds.

A More Helpful Gemini Experience in Arabic

Gemini was launched in Arabic last year, and since then, we've seen a lot of people in the region using it for all sorts of things, from boosting productivity to fueling creativity. Today, we're rolling out some new features for Arabic-speaking users around the world.

• Gems on Gemini in Arabic: This lets people create custom AI experts for tasks like career advice, learning, brainstorming, editing, and coding. It's available for Gemini Advanced users.
• Gemini for Teens: This is a safe and tailored experience for users under 18, including a feature called double-check response to verify Gemini's answers against web content.
• Imagen 3 in Arabic: This feature lets you generate images using Arabic prompts.
• Gemini Live in Arabic: It's a free-flowing chat experience on mobile devices, available on Android.

Investments in Infrastructure

We recently announced a partnership with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia to expand our Dammam Google Cloud region with an AI hub for global customers. This partnership will also boost AI research on Arabic-language models and offer AI and digital upskilling programs to create high-skill jobs and opportunities for global businesses to grow through cloud adoption.

The AI Opportunity Initiative for MENA was unveiled at the AI Connect event at the Etihad Museum in Dubai. Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Google and Alphabet, was there, along with government reps, businesses, and industry experts from the region.

AI's potential to open up amazing opportunities in the region is clear, and we're excited to work with individuals, communities, businesses, and organizations to make AI more inclusive and accessible for everyone.