Google and ITU Partner to Offer 100,000 AI Training Scholarships Across More Than 80 Countries

On September 22, 2026, Google partnered with the International Telecommunication Union to provide 100,000 AI training scholarships across more than 80 countries, supported by a catalogue of over 200 online courses. On September 20, 2026, Google.org committed USD 4 million to Digital Promise for free AI training, complementing an initiative designed to reach all 6 million U.S. K-12 teachers and higher-education faculty. Both moves target AI capacity building for teachers and learners.

These moves direct AI training resources to teachers and learners, a public-infrastructure investment in AI talent development that changes how schools and education institutions access and pay for AI training. For education product builders, large-scale free training may affect product positioning and procurement paths for the school market. The source does not provide scholarship eligibility criteria, course completion rates or training outcome data; the coverage figures are planned targets rather than achieved results. Teachers and schools gain more free AI training channels, potentially reducing the urgency to buy external training. AI education products targeting schools need to reassess differentiation against free public training resources.