Google has launched the AI Opportunity Initiative, committing $15 million through Google.org to enhance AI skills, research, and digital infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The initiative will introduce new educational programs, including an Arabic AI curriculum and a focus on AI safety skills, developed in partnership with local organizations.

Additionally, Google will support university researchers in creating AI solutions for critical areas such as healthcare, climate, and education, particularly for underserved populations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Structured around four key pillars—AI skills development, research funding, Arabic-language AI product support, and cloud infrastructure investments—the initiative aims to ensure that AI benefits are accessible to all.

In addition to the initiative, Google has enhanced its Gemini AI assistant, which launched in Arabic in July 2023, with new features that support personalized assistance and cater to users under 18.

Ruth Porat, President of Alphabet and Google, highlighted at the AI Connect event in Dubai that AI could contribute an estimated $320 billion to MENA's economy by 2030, emphasizing the need for enhanced AI and digital literacy.

This economic potential underscores the initiative's goal to empower 500,000 people over the next two years, particularly targeting underserved communities including women, youth, migrants, and rural residents.

The AI Connect event, held at the Etihad Museum, was attended by key figures such as His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, showcasing the initiative's broad impact.

The event highlighted collaboration among government officials, industry leaders, and educational institutions, reinforcing the initiative's commitment to fostering AI skills.

As part of its commitment, Google is expanding its cloud infrastructure in MENA, including new data regions in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, and partnering with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to establish an AI hub in Dammam.

The Imagen3 feature, a text-to-image generator, now supports Arabic prompts, although it currently does not support human visual generation due to the complexity of the language.

Research indicates that Google's products generated $12.8 billion of economic activity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in 2023, with projections of an increase to $14.2 billion in 2024.