Malaysia's Ministry of Digital Launches Upgraded Rakyat Digital Portal, 100,000 Youths to Get Three Months of Free Generative AI Access

Malaysia's Ministry of Digital launched the upgraded Rakyat Digital portal at the AI Malaysia Takeover 2026 event, consolidating multiple digital learning initiatives under a single account. Under the programme, 100,000 Malaysians aged 18 to 30 who complete selected modules will receive three months of free access to leading generative AI applications, starting 31 August 2026 in four cohorts of 25,000, with the first cohort beginning 16 September 2026. The government-funded Global Learning Pass also offers more than 16,000 Coursera courses, and an AI Builders Hub is due from October 2026.

This is a large-scale government programme that directly distributes generative AI tool access to youths through a public platform, linking tool access to modules on AI safety and Agentic AI, offering a reference path for other countries designing public AI literacy infrastructure. For education product practitioners, the phased distribution to 100,000 people and the Coursera course gateway will change how Malaysian youths reach AI tools and certifications. Outcomes depend on module completion rates and execution of the four cohorts; the source provides no quantitative evidence on learning or employment results. Malaysians aged 18 to 30 can obtain three months of free access to generative AI applications by completing designated modules, lowering the barrier to tool access. The government digital learning platform is consolidated from separate initiatives into a single account and connected to more than 16,000 Coursera courses, increasing the concentration of public learning gateways.