Google to Offer Free Gemini Subscription to All Students in Pakistan for One Year
- Google will provide its Gemini subscription free to students across Pakistan for one year.
- Google Vice President Wilson L. White said a formal announcement with further details will be made later this week.
- Google says it has already helped more than one million Pakistanis develop digital skills through its career certificate programmes.
- The announcement came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif unveiled the foundation plaque of Google’s Pakistan office.
Google has announced plans to provide its Gemini subscription free of cost to all students in Pakistan for one year, in a major initiative aimed at expanding access to artificial intelligence tools among the country’s young population.
Google Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson L. White announced the initiative during an event marking the unveiling of the foundation plaque of Google’s Pakistan office by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
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White said Gemini subscriptions would be made available free to all students in Pakistan for a period of one year. He added that Google would make a formal announcement later in the week, when further details of the initiative are expected to be shared.
The move could provide Pakistani students with greater access to Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence tools for learning, research and developing digital skills as the country pushes ahead with its broader digital transformation.
Speaking at the event, White said investment in people was essential to Pakistan’s digital transformation. He said Google had already contributed to the upskilling of more than one million Pakistanis through its career certificate programmes and collaborations involving schools and teachers.
Google also outlined its broader commitment to supporting Pakistan’s ambition to expand IT exports. White said the company planned to contribute in three major areas: investing in Pakistani people, supporting manufacturing and infrastructure related to export hardware, and investing in local businesses.
According to the Google executive, the company has been investing in and maintaining a commitment to Pakistan for more than a decade. He said Google had contributed to more than Rs3.9 trillion in economic activity for Pakistani businesses and households over the past 10 years while supporting more than 960,000 jobs.
White said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambition of developing Pakistan into a $30 billion IT export hub was closely aligned with Google’s goals for the country.
PM Shehbaz, meanwhile, described the establishment of Google’s local office as a significant milestone in Pakistan’s digital transformation journey. He said the country’s large young population could be equipped with modern tools, technology and skills to help transform Pakistan’s economic prospects.
The prime minister said Google was already a household name in Pakistan and around the world, adding that there was considerable potential to build a strong partnership with the technology company across multiple areas.
US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja were also present during the unveiling of the foundation plaque.
Further information regarding eligibility, the registration process and how Pakistani students can claim the free one-year Gemini subscription is expected to be provided in Google’s formal announcement later this week.
