OpenAI and the government of Malta have launched an unprecedented partnership: all citizens of the country will receive free access to ChatGPT Plus for a year — but must first complete a course on the basics of artificial intelligence.
OpenAI and the government of Malta have launched an unprecedented partnership: all citizens of the country will receive free access to ChatGPT Plus for a year — but must first complete a course on the basics of artificial intelligence.
The scheme is simple. The University of Malta has developed a course as part of the «AI for All» initiative — about what AI is, what it can and cannot do, and how to use it responsibly at home and at work. After completing the course, there is a year of ChatGPT Plus at no cost to the participant. The first phase starts in May, and the distribution is handled by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority. The program will scale as more Maltese residents and citizens abroad take the course.
For OpenAI, this is part of a broader strategy — the OpenAI for Countries initiative, which helps governments move from interest in AI to real national implementation. Not a one-size-fits-all model, but partnerships for specific country priorities: education, retraining, public services, startup support, or AI literacy. The company is already working with Estonia and Greece on national education systems.
«Intelligence is becoming a national utility, and all governments have a critical role to play in ensuring their populations have both access and skills,» says George Osborne, Head of OpenAI for Countries.
Malta is a small country with a population of about 500,000. But the precedent is interesting not for its scale, but for its model: not just handing out access, but first teaching how to use it. If it works, expect other governments to copy the approach.
