AWS pledges $100 million to help underserved students gain skills in emerging tech

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Amazon Web Services (AWS) has committed up to $100 million in cloud credits over the next five years to help underserved students gain skills in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, literacy and more. The new programme will provide recipients with cloud credits, which essentially act like cash that organisations can use to offset the costs of using AWS's cloud services. “Recipients can then take advantage of AWS's comprehensive portfolio of cloud technology and advanced AI services to create innovations such as AI assistants, coding curriculums, connectivity tools, student learning platforms, mobile apps, chatbots, and other technology-based learning experiences,” said the company. Skills in AI, machine learning (ML), cloud computing and computer science can open doors to boundless opportunities for students. AWS said it is already working with more than 50 organizations from 10 countries, enabling them to use advanced technologies to bring digital learning solutions to underserved and underrepresented communities.

Rocket Learning, an India-based nonprofit that improves access to quality, early-childhood education for underserved children, will scale a project that leverages Amazon Q in AWS QuickSight as a generative business intelligence service to analyse trends and the effectiveness of video and WhatsApp-based content delivered to educators and parents. This analysis helps optimise content to enhance learning outcomes for children across diverse regions, taking into account varying languages and cultural differences. In the past year, more than 2 million students have received over 17 million hours of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), literacy, and career development courses through Amazon Future Engineer, a childhood-to-career programme. AWS’s AI and ML Scholarship Programme has awarded $28 million in scholarships to approximately 6,000 students to prepare them for a career in AI. The company said it will help nonprofits, education technology companies, social enterprises, governments, and corporate social responsibility teams expand access to learning and development opportunities to underrepresented and underserved communities.