Geniepy, Awesome School Selected for Google AI Opportunity Fund in APAC

Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, is significantly expanding a large-scale support program to bridge the artificial intelligence (AI) technology accessibility gap in the Asia-Pacific region and build an inclusive AI ecosystem. In Korea, specifically, 'Geniepy', which helps strengthen practical AI capabilities, and 'Awesome School', which leads AI education for teachers, have been named as initial beneficiaries. This program, initially valued at 15 million dollars, has grown to a substantial 27 million dollars (approximately 37 billion KRW) with the addition of 12 million dollars. Forty-nine organizations across 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will receive these benefits. According to a survey by the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), only 15% of the Asia-Pacific population has received AI education, and a significant number are not even aware of the existence of AI education, posing a serious problem. Sanjay Gupta, Asia-Pacific Lead for Google.org, emphasized, "The AI Opportunity Fund is expanding AI education opportunities for underserved communities and contributing to creating a more inclusive technological ecosystem across the Asia-Pacific region." The strategic partner for this project in Korea is the AI Institute (AIIS) at Seoul National University. AIIS will lead the development of AI introductory curricula and the training of educators, and will collaborate with on-site educational institutions to support content localization and improve educational quality. Geniepy, which operates 'Geepiters', the largest generative AI learning community in Korea, nurtures young people's practical AI capabilities with a practice-oriented curriculum. CEO Kim Tae-hyun stated, "AI utilization skills are now central to the job market," and expressed his ambition, "Through this support, we will expand the educational environment to help young people innovate work with AI and actively embrace new technologies." Awesome School, based on its network of over 4,000 middle and high schools nationwide and its teacher training expertise, operates a 'train-the-trainer' model to enable teachers to directly strengthen their AI utilization capabilities. CEO Lee Ji-seop emphasized, "The experience of teachers solving real-world problems with AI is at the core of education." Ham Jong-min, Head of the Industry-Academia Cooperation Center at the Seoul National University AI Institute, noted, "The social value of this project is even more special because it supports those in the blind spots of technological advancement." This program offers AI opportunities to individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from solo entrepreneurs in rural India to migrant domestic workers in Singapore, and people with disabilities and caregivers in Japan. Google.org expects this campaign to provide practical assistance to 720,000 workers, 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses, and 10,000 non-profit organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, helping them effectively utilize AI and bridge the digital divide.