Google’s Back-to-School Initiatives
Last week Google made a series of big back-to-school announcements around new AI and Education initiatives including a $1B funding pledge, free access to Gemini Pro for students, and a series of new Gemini learning tools.
What the $1B funding includes:
- Free training, resources, and tools to U.S. higher education institutions and nonprofits
- 100+ universities have signed on already, including Texas A&M and UNC
- Free student access to Gemini pro
What students should know about Google Gemini’s Free Pro Plan:
- Available to college students 18+ in the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea
- 1 year access to 2.5 Pro model, Deep Research, NotebookLM, audio overviews, & 2 TB of storage
- Registration closes on Oct. 6
New Gemini learning tools:
- Guided Learning mode: Promises personalized step-by-step instruction and adapted explanations instead of just providing quick answers - but has limitations in the same way that ChatGPT study mode does in terms of its pedagogical value.
- Integrated Visuals: Proactively integrates diagrams, images, and videos to help explain complex concepts
- Smart Exam Prep: Instant flashcards and study guides generated from class materials or quiz results
This is a major push for Google as students and educators prepare to head back to the classroom. Digital equity comes down to access to the highest quality models, so we're glad to see this level of access extended not just in the U.S. but also in key international markets.
Learn more about Google's new Gemini tools here and students can sign up for Gemini's free pro plan here.
