#Belanjawan2027: Govt To Give Out 100,000 Free AI Subscriptions

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The government will give out 100,000 free artificial intelligence (AI) subscriptions to Malaysian youths, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, announced this during tabling of the Belanjawan 2027 today, 9 October.

He said the government would offer more free AI subscriptions following strong demand for the earlier batch.

"Following strong demand for free AI subscriptions among young people, the government will add another 100,000 free subscriptions and expand the initiative to include AI applications such as ChatGPT," he said.

The New Straits Times reported yesterday, 8 October, that 9,182 youths have redeemed three months of free access to premium AI software under the AI Untuk Rakyat programme as of 4 October.

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said 11,979 youths had completed the six learning modules required to qualify for the initiative.

The initiative previously aimed to provide premium AI software access to up to 100,000 eligible youths.

Malaysians can also enroll in free AI courses

Anwar said the Rakyat Digital platform will offer free access to more than 16,000 digital courses and professional certificate programmes from leading universities and organisations worldwide, through a partnership with Coursera.

He also announced RM6 billion for research, development, and the commercialisation of innovations across ministries. AI Malaysia Berhad will receive nearly RM15 million to strengthen the country's AI ecosystem, with a target of developing 200,000 skilled AI workers.

A separate RM30 million Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) fund will help 4,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises adopt AI and automate their operations. The programme will also train and certify 5,000 AI professionals.

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