Malaysia to Give Schoolchildren Free ChatGPT Subscriptions

KUALA LUMPUR, CNBC Indonesia – The Malaysian government is including AI technology in its upcoming 2027 budget. The move signals the seriousness with which Indonesia’s neighbour is pursuing the adoption of AI in everyday life.

One planned programme will provide an additional 100,000 free AI subscriptions for young people, including access to the popular chatbot ChatGPT.

The initiative is being expanded following what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described as an encouraging response to the free-subscription programme.

“Following the encouraging response to free AI subscriptions for young people, I am announcing that the initiative will be strengthened with an additional 100,000 free AI subscriptions and expanded to include new AI applications such as ChatGPT,” he said, as quoted by the New Straits Times on Tuesday (13 October 2026).

Malaysia also plans to develop sovereign AI cloud infrastructure. Anwar said this would help ensure that citizens’ data and the country’s strategic information remain under national control.

The government is allocating RM6 billion (Rp26.3 trillion) to boost research, development and commercialisation across ministries. Of this, RM15 million (Rp65.8 billion) will be managed by AI Malaysia Bhd to strengthen a safe and ethical AI ecosystem and support the development of 200 AI workers.

The Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation is also allocating RM30 million (Rp131.6 billion) to help 4,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises adopt AI and automate their operations.

The programme also includes training and certification for 5,000 AI professionals, as well as free access to more than 16,000 courses and professional certification programmes through a partnership with Coursera.