UAE university students to get free access to Google’s Gemini AI

All university students in the United Arab Emirates will receive a free one-year subscription to Google’s advanced artificial intelligence assistant, as part of the country’s push to expand AI use in education, The National reported. reported.

The UAE government said the agreement will give every university student complimentary access to Google Gemini 2.5 Pro, the company’s most advanced AI model, valued at about 73 dirhams ($20) per month.

The initiative is part of the UAE’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, aimed at developing a workforce equipped with future-ready digital skills.

Students aged 18 and older can register for access before Dec. 9, according to the report. The platform allows users to generate text, images, and videos; conduct research; and organize daily academic tasks using generative AI.

Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s minister of state for AI, digital economy and remote work applications, said the program is designed to “leverage AI to develop skills, build capabilities, enhance efficiency, and accelerate innovation across all sectors.”

Anthony Nakache, Google’s managing director for the Middle East and North Africa, told The National that the move reflects rising demand for AI tools among students and educators.

“We’ve seen a 110 percent rise in searches related to AI and study topics in the UAE over the past two months compared with last year,” Nakache said. “This reflects the positive attitude of teachers and students towards experimenting with modern technologies to foster creativity in education.”

Key features available to students include Deep Research, which compiles reports from multiple online sources; NotebookLM, a workspace that organizes notes and summarizes audio or video content; and Veo 3, which generates short video clips from text or photos.