According to Andrew Sklar, Director of AWS Training and Certifications , Asia Pacific and Japan, the Asia Pacific region is a global hub for innovation. From Japan to Indonesia and further south to New Zealand, organizations and individuals from diverse communities are actively adopting and integrating the latest and most advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to improve their lives and work.

AWS also heard directly from customers about the need to close the digital skills gap to accelerate innovation. Their feedback has inspired AWS to continue innovating to make cloud skills training more accessible, which is critical to the growth and prosperity of the region’s digital economies.

Additionally, the need for an AI-savvy workforce to solve the world’s most challenging problems is more urgent than ever, which is why AWS has decided to make AI training available to anyone who is willing to learn.

Starting this month, AWS is launching new AI skills initiatives for workers and students, and expanding existing AWS free AI training programs so people can gain these critical skills without worrying about cost.

The three initiatives include:

• Eight free AI and generative AI courses for everyone and relevant to today's jobs, with courses ranging from beginner to advanced for business leaders and technologists alike.
• The $12 million AWS Generative AI Scholarship will provide more than 50,000 high school and college students from underserved and underserved communities globally with access to a new introductory generative AI course on Udacity.
• Partnering with Code.org to help young students learn about generative AI through the Hour of Code Dancy Party: AI Edition program - an hour-long introduction to coding and AI where students will create their own music video sets to popular songs by artists including Harry Styles.

AWS believes that AI and ML (machine learning) are two of the most transformative technologies of our time. AWS is committed to helping organizations and individuals of all walks of life navigate the future by continuously investing in new digital skills training programs across the Asia Pacific region.