Putting educators at the center of AI learning
I recently met with two educators in Singapore who had undergone training as part of the Google.org AI Opportunity Fund in Asia Pacific. They shared how AI is changing their classroom experience — from giving students tools to personalize lessons, to freeing up time for teachers.
At the School of Science and Technology, Dean of Educational Technology Aurelius Yeo told me how he uses NotebookLM as a learning partner, helping high school students grapple with complex materials and deepen their understanding in ways that fit their personal learning styles. Meanwhile, Kar Mun Lam, an educator at Dunman High School, shared how Gemini helps students synthesize reflections for graduation records, sparing teachers from basic editing so they can focus on providing deeper feedback and guidance.
Aurelius and Kar Mun, teachers in Singapore, share how they use AI in their classrooms.
The benefit of AI for educators and students came to life in that meeting. And while it’s clear that AI has the potential to improve education, scaling that benefit will depend on as many educators as possible having the skills to create a multiplier effect.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, knowing how to use AI is quickly becoming a skill everyone needs. Optimism is high: recent research shows 77% of educators and 79% of university students believe learners will benefit from AI. Yet a massive gap exists in formal training. Students are adopting these tools, but schools are asking for the frameworks to catch up.
To help close this gap, we are adding $10 million to the Google.org AI Opportunity Fund in Asia-Pacific to support educators, bringing our total contribution to $37 million. Since launching in 2024, the Fund — which supports AI skilling programs across the Asia-Pacific region — has already trained over 500,000 workers and 11,000 small businesses. Now, we are supporting AVPN, a network of social investors, to further scale this impact. This expansion will equip 4.7 million learners and educators across 19 countries with essential AI skills.
Students at an AI skills training in Singapore run by Tictag.
People at a training run by Ruang Kolaborasi Perempuan in Indonesia.
People at a training run by Tisser Artisans Trust in India.
A training run by Awesome School in South Korea.
Individuals attend a training run by Hapinoy in the Philippines.
Empowering teachers as multipliers
By supporting AI education in schools, universities and training institutions, we want to help students develop critical thinking skills and build confidence with this technology.
Educators sit at the heart of this next phase. When teachers are empowered to use AI in thoughtful, responsible ways, they not only transform their own practice, but also unlock opportunity for every learner who passes through their classroom. We’ve heard this firsthand from educators across the region who completed AI training.
“This program helps teachers move beyond traditional methods and create a more engaging, inclusive and effective classroom environment.” - Patel Vidhiben Vinodbhai, teacher, India.
"Teachers today are expected to quickly adapt to technological advancements — and even innovate. This training gave me the tools to do exactly that." - Devi Kurnia, teacher, Indonesia.
Scaling AI education for everyone
To help build an AI-ready generation, the expanded Fund will provide:
- Integrated learning pathways: embedding world-class, research-backed resources into local education systems, including Experience AI, Google Gemini Academy, AI Research Foundations and more.
- An AI playbook for educators: providing teachers with instructional blueprints to integrate AI tools safely and effectively to ensure technology enhances deep learning and doesn’t distract from it.
- A central learning platform: tracking progress and automating enrollment for millions of learners through a central, AI-powered learning navigation & data management platform.
- Local implementation and policy engagement: We’re working with more than 20 local partners to deliver training and host regional convenings to align AI education with national digital agendas.
This expansion builds on Google.org’s deep, ongoing commitment to the region. Over the last five years, Google.org has supported more than 100 organizations in the Asia-Pacific region with more than $200 million in funding and $600 million in in-kind donations. Combined with over 170,000 volunteer hours from Googlers, this support has unlocked opportunities for more than 60 million learners.
By working together across government, industry and civil society, we can close the AI divide before it widens — ensuring the benefits of this technology reach everyone, no matter where they start.
