In a groundbreaking move to enhance digital literacy and employment prospects, the Sindh government has announced a partnership with Google and Tech Valley Pakistan to provide over 30,000 scholarships for digital skills training. The initiative aims to equip students from public sector universities with globally recognized certifications in high-demand fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, IT Automation, and Project Management.

The programme was unveiled during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House. Speaking on the occasion, Shah highlighted the government’s commitment to fostering innovation and skill development in the province. “This partnership is a testament to our vision of transforming Sindh into a hub of innovation and skill development,” he stated.

A key feature of the initiative is its focus on gender inclusivity, ensuring that at least 30% of the scholarships are awarded to female students. The Google Career Certificates, designed by industry experts, offer flexible online courses that can be completed within three to six months, without requiring a formal degree. Graduates from previous cohorts have successfully secured positions in leading companies, with reported salaries reaching up to Rs 1.6 million per month.

Among the notable success stories is Leena Kumari, a student from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, who completed the Google AI Essentials course and secured employment at Evolution. Her achievement was recognized and featured by Google, underscoring the real-world impact of the programme.

Expanding its reach, the initiative will be implemented across 30 public universities and introduce new specializations such as Prompting Essentials and Agile Essentials. Additionally, it aligns with the ongoing Soft Skills & Career Kamyabi Sindh Programme, which trains students in CV writing, interview techniques, and professional communication skills.

Kyle Gardener, Government Affairs & Public Policy Lead at Google, reaffirmed Google’s commitment to supporting students in unlocking new career opportunities and contributing to economic growth.

“This initiative reflects our dedication to empowering students with future-ready skills that will drive Pakistan’s digital transformation,” he said.

The Sindh government’s strategic collaboration with Google marks a significant step towards bridging the digital divide and fostering a skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of the global tech industry.

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Google has announced the launch of its new AI Academy, designed to accelerate the growth of artificial intelligence startups in Pakistan and the broader Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The announcement was made through a press release on Monday.

New AI Academy to Drive Cross-Border Innovations

The AI Academy aims to foster new cross-border innovations and partnerships, promoting the exchange of ideas, expertise, and resources to expedite AI solution development. Google’s PR agency emphasized that this initiative will position the APAC region as a global hub for AI advancement.

Google for Startups Launches AI Academy Program

“Google for Startups has introduced a new program called AI Academy to help accelerate the growth of artificial intelligence startups in Pakistan and the APAC region,” the press release stated. Initially, the program will support over 20 startups focused on AI technologies.

Personalized Guidance and Substantial Cloud Credits for Participants

Participants in the AI Academy will receive individual guidance from Google’s global AI experts. Each startup will also be eligible for up to $350,000 in Google Cloud Credit to aid AI development and experimentation. The program includes opportunities for networking and collaboration with other AI startups across the region.

Fast-Tracking Startups to Market

The AI Academy is structured to fast-track startups to market, enabling them to develop proof of concept and product roadmaps, thereby swiftly validating their AI solutions. This accelerated process aims to expedite their path to success and demonstrate the tangible value of their innovations in the AI sector.

Significance for Pakistan’s AI Ecosystem

Google Pakistan Country Director, Farhan S. Qureshi, highlighted the importance of this initiative for the local market. “With Pakistan being an important market, we hope that local startup companies will take advantage of this opportunity to improve their AI solutions and further strengthen the AI ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Application Deadline for Google AI Academy Program

Applications for the AI Academy program are open until August 16, providing a crucial opportunity for Pakistani startups to join a regional push towards advanced AI development.

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Google has announced a new AI tool that can create graphics from text input. Any descriptive language can be entered into the programme, and it will build an image as exactly as feasible.

This isn’t the first time an AI model for image creation has made the news. DALL-E from OpenAI could also generate graphics from text, but Google’s version is more realistic. Google’s programme is called Imagen, and it was developed by Google Research’s Brain Team. The search engine behemoth promises to be able to provide “new levels of photorealism and language understanding.”

Google established the Drawbench benchmark to compare Imagen to other text-to-image models. This benchmark has a set of 200 text prompts that were entered into several AI systems for image creation. Human raters were then shown these photos. “In side-by-side comparisons, both in terms of sample quality and image-text alignment, Google prefers Imagen over other models,” Google notes.

However, it’s worth noting that the photographs on Imagen’s website have been chosen and may represent the tool’s best work. The model’s graphics will not always be accurate.

Imagen, like other text-to-AI solutions, is not yet available to the general public. Google believes it is currently unsuitable for the general public and requires further refinement. In the future, the team may make it available to the public, although access will most certainly be limited.

On Imagen’s website, you can try a limited version of the game right now. Only pre-selected sentences can be used to generate a description.

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