Free AI for UAE students as Google unveils Gemini Pro plan

Google Gemini AI logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo: Getty Images)

University students across the UAE will receive a full year of free access to Google’s generative AI model, Gemini 2.5 Pro, under a new partnership announced between the UAE government and Google.

The initiative, part of the UAE’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, aims to build an advanced AI talent ecosystem by giving students access to cutting-edge tools for content creation, research, and productivity.

Google said all university students aged 18 and above can register before December 9, 2025, to obtain a 12-month complimentary subscription to the Gemini Pro plan. Students just need a personal email and they can use this link to register,

The move aims to encourage students to use generative AI to generate text, images, and videos, summarise research, and organise tasks more efficiently.

Omar Sultan Al Olama, minister of state for artificial intelligence, digital economy, and remote work Applications, said the UAE continues to prioritise advancing national talent through the use of AI technologies.

He said the initiative reflects the country’s “commitment to achieving global leadership by leveraging AI to develop skills, build capabilities, enhance efficiency, and accelerate innovation across all sectors, thereby shaping a future driven by knowledge, creativity, and sustainable progress.”

Al Olama added that the UAE government has developed a “clear and forward-looking vision centred on empowering society through technology and artificial intelligence,” supported by strategic partnerships that promote continuous learning and innovation.

Anthony Nakache, Google’s managing director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the collaboration will ensure that students across the UAE can equally benefit from Gemini’s latest models and features.

“We want university students across the country to equally benefit from Gemini’s latest models and features to enhance their research skills and thrive in their educational journey,” Nakache said.

He noted a strong rise in public interest, citing Google Trends data showing a 110 per cent increase in AI- and study-related searches in the UAE over the past two months compared to the same period last year.

Here’s what students will get

Students will have access to a full suite of Gemini Pro features, including:

• Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s most capable model for complex tasks such as analysis, brainstorming, and content generation.
• Deep Research, which compiles multi-source insights and drafts initial research summaries.
• NotebookLM, an AI-powered tool that helps organise ideas and now includes expanded audio and video overviews.
• Veo 3, a tool that transforms text or photos into short eight-second videos with sound.
• 2 TB of cloud storage across Google Drive, Photos, Gmail, and Docs.

These tools will allow students to summarise lectures, create interactive quizzes, convert notes into multimedia formats, and speed up academic and research workflows using generative AI.

Building the AI talent ecosystem

The initiative supports the UAE’s broader goal of developing a skilled AI-ready generation. It follows recent government measures to promote AI education and innovation through research centres, training programmes, and global collaborations.

By providing free access to one of the world’s most advanced AI models, the UAE aims to place its youth at the forefront of technological innovation and human capital development: key objectives in its national vision to become a global leader in artificial intelligence.