The UAE government has announced a new partnership with Google that will give university students across the country complimentary access to the Pro plan of Google Gemini for one year. The initiative aims to strengthen the nation’s talent pipeline in artificial intelligence and aligns with the goals of the UAE’s National AI Strategy, which focuses on equipping young people with the skills and tools needed to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven world.
His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, said the collaboration reflects the UAE’s ongoing commitment to integrating AI into education and capacity building. He noted that under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the country continues to prioritize developing human capital and fostering innovation through advanced technologies. The goal, he emphasized, is to ensure that AI becomes a practical enabler of efficiency, creativity, and sustainable progress across all sectors.
Al Olama added that the UAE’s strategy is rooted in partnerships with leading global technology firms to build an environment that encourages continuous learning and innovation. By investing in AI literacy and exposure, the government hopes to position the country as a hub for applied artificial intelligence and digital advancement.
Anthony Nakache, Google’s Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa, highlighted a surge of interest in AI and education within the UAE, pointing to a 110% increase in Google search activity for related topics compared to the same period last year. He described the partnership as an important step toward ensuring that all university students in the UAE can access Gemini’s most advanced models and use them to strengthen research, analysis, and creative problem-solving skills.
Through the Gemini Pro plan, students will gain access to Google’s latest AI tools, including Gemini 2.5 Pro for complex reasoning tasks and Deep Research for generating in-depth reports sourced from across the web. The plan also includes NotebookLM, a research and organization tool now enhanced with expanded audio and video summarization features, as well as Veo 3, which can generate short video clips from text or images. Each subscription also provides 2 terabytes of cloud storage across Google’s services.
Students aged 18 and older can register for the free 12-month Gemini 2.5 Pro subscription using their personal email address before December 9, 2025. The offer is accessible through the Google Gemini student portal.
This collaboration reinforces the UAE’s broader vision of preparing its next generation for a future where artificial intelligence plays a central role in education, innovation, and national development.
