At the LEAP 2026 conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Google unveiled a national initiative granting one million university students—aged 18 and above—free access to advanced Google AI technologies for a full year. The program aims to cultivate future-ready skills and strengthen national talent for the digital economy.
What the Initiative Offers
Eligible students will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to the Google AI Plus plan. This tier includes advanced tools such as Gemini, which assists with research preparation, information analysis, and learning support, as well as tools for generating images and videos. Additionally, students gain access to NotebookLM, a platform designed to organize sources and references and summarize academic content. The subscription also provides 400 gigabytes of storage.
Official Statements and Goals
Sarah Al-Husseini, Head of Public Policy at Google in Saudi Arabia and North Africa, announced the initiative, emphasizing the company’s commitment to expanding access to AI technologies and enabling students to use them responsibly and effectively in learning, research, and innovation.
Engineer Mohammed Al-Rabian, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for Future Capabilities and Jobs, stated that the partnership aims to build human capital capable of leading the digital economy and competing in the intelligent era. He noted that the initiative goes beyond providing technical tools, integrating AI into the learning journey to boost productivity and innovation, and linking educational outcomes with future skills and jobs.
Training and Additional Benefits
The initiative includes year-long training programs developed jointly by the ministry and Google, designed to help students use AI tools efficiently and responsibly.
Google is also offering students a discount of up to 75% on the Google AI Pro plan, and up to 70% on a bundle that combines Google AI Pro with YouTube Premium.
Registration and Context
Students can register for the initiative until December 31, 2026, after verifying their university status through the provided link. This move builds on Saudi Arabia’s broader digital capacity-building efforts, as Google programs have already trained more than 600,000 individuals in AI and digital marketing skills over the past few years, supporting the Kingdom’s goal of preparing national talent to harness and develop AI applications.
