JAKARTA: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ready ASEAN initiative, aimed at enhancing AI literacy for five million youths, educators and parents across the region, has received strong backing from ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn.

The initiative, led by the ASEAN Foundation and supported by a US$5 million grant from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, was launched during the AI Opportunity Southeast Asia Forum at ASEAN headquarters on Wednesday.

“This programme will include nationwide AI awareness campaigns and train-the-trainer sessions to assist educators in integrating AI into classrooms and enhancing students’ skills with resources from the ASEAN Foundation,” he said.

Kao praised the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org for their efforts, noting that Google has invested more than US$5.4 billion in infrastructure and office space in the ASEAN region.

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The collaboration, especially through the Go Digital ASEAN programme by the Asia Foundation, has helped train 400,000 individuals in digital skills.

He commended the ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme, which has exceeded expectations by providing online safety and media literacy skills to over 190,000 individuals, particularly those from underserved communities, including youth, the elderly, and women.

The forum, attended by the president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google, Ruth Porat, brought together key regional stakeholders to discuss AI policies and explore their benefits through interactive experience booths.