True, Google and Thailand's Government Launch Nationwide AI Literacy Drive

 

 

True, Google and MHESI launch Thailand's first credit-bearing AI curriculum, aiming to close an 80,000-professional skills gap and open the kingdom to global tech investment.

 

True Corporation, Google and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) have joined forces to launch "AI for All Thais", a landmark initiative that embeds artificial intelligence education directly into Thailand's university system for the first time. 

 

Announced in Bangkok on Tuesday, the collaboration combines True's nationwide digital infrastructure, Google's global AI expertise, and government policy backing to tackle what officials describe as a worsening shortage of AI-skilled professionals across the country.

 

At the heart of the programme is AI for Future Workforce, a specially designed 45-hour credit-bearing course co-developed by True and Google that can be officially counted towards academic credits at participating institutions. 

 

The curriculum will be piloted across more than 20 leading universities before being rolled out nationally, with a Train-the-Trainer component enabling university instructors to integrate AI literacy into their regular teaching.

 

 

 

 

Closing an 80,000-Person Gap

Prof Dr Yodchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, described AI workforce development as a "national agenda" that could no longer be deferred, pointing to a shortfall of as many as 80,000 AI professionals in Thailand.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We aim to create a comprehensive learning pathway from building strong foundations to cultivating highly skilled specialists," he said, adding that the initiative would lay "a strong foundation for Thailand to advance toward a sustainable economy driven by AI innovation in the long term."

 

Beyond closing the skills gap, Dr Yodchanan indicated that the government is committed to positioning Thailand's AI market as an open and attractive ecosystem for both international investment and technology incubation. 

 

By establishing what the ministry terms a "Trusted Standard" of literacy and governance, MHESI intends to attract global start-ups and high-level tech talent to work and innovate within the kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

True's Internal and National Ambitions

Sigve Brekke, group chief executive of True Corporation, said the company is moving to become an "AI-First organisation", with a target to empower 12 million Thais to use AI more productively by 2030.

 

He acknowledged that the skills deficit, rather than technology itself, remains the primary barrier to AI adoption.

 

"No company is big enough to do this alone. It requires collaboration between companies, schools, universities, and the government," Brekke said. 

 

 

 

 

Internally, True has set a target for all of its more than 10,000 employees to acquire foundational AI knowledge this year, with half expected to reach advanced builder or active user status.

 

The "AI for All Thais" initiative sits within a broader effort by Charoen Pokphand Group to advance Thailand's AI ecosystem through the CP Centre of Excellence (CP-CoE) at True Digital Park, which serves as a hub for digital, AI and data infrastructure development.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google's Commitment to Thailand's Digital Economy

Saranee Boonritthongchai, marketing director for Consumer Products at Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, said the collaboration represented a significant step forward in the company's longstanding pledge to ensure Thais can thrive in the digital age. 

 

Through programmes including Gemini Academy for Students and an AI Literacy and Safety module, Google aims to help the next generation use generative AI safely whilst enhancing creativity and productivity.

 

The initiative is further underpinned by Google's $1 billion (approximately 360 billion baht) investment in a Thai data centre and cloud region — an infrastructure project projected to contribute 1.4 trillion baht to the Thai economy by 2029.

 

That technological backbone, officials noted, provides the foundation upon which today's literacy programmes are designed to operate.
Students who complete the course will receive a joint certificate from True and Google upon completion.

 

 

 

 

A Two-Phase Rollout

The initiative is structured in two phases. The first, AI First Citizen, focuses on foundational knowledge through Gemini Academy, covering AI safety, digital literacy and prompt engineering in both online and offline formats. 

 

True will provide free 10GB of data to True and dtac subscribers to support online learning, and students will be able to compete in challenge activities themed around "AI for Daily Life" and "AI for Society". The top five winners will receive an international study visit to Google's offices in Singapore.

 

 

The second phase introduces the full AI for Future Workforce credit-bearing course, alongside university- and national-level AI competitions. The four winning teams — 16 participants in total — will also earn the opportunity to visit Google in Singapore.