Malta has signed an agreement with OpenAI to offer ChatGPT Plus free of charge to all its citizens and residents for twelve months. The initiative is part of a national artificial intelligence literacy program. To access the benefit, interested parties must be registered in the country's online identity system and complete the free course AI for All, developed by the University of Malta.
Digital identity and a mandatory course as requirements 🎓
Access to the program requires two specific steps. First, being registered in the Maltese online identity system, which verifies legal residency. Second, completing the AI for All course, designed by the University of Malta, which covers basic concepts of artificial intelligence, ethics, and practical applications. Once completed, OpenAI activates the ChatGPT Plus subscription, which includes access to GPT-4, web browsing, and data analysis, at no cost to the user for one year.
Prompt paradise: Malta gets addicted to GPT 🤖
Now, any Maltese person can ask ChatGPT how to cook baked rabbit or draft a formal email to request a day off. The mandatory course promises AI literacy, but surely many will use it to have the machine explain why traffic in Valletta is a mess. At least, if the AI starts hallucinating, they'll have someone to blame: the government, for making it too accessible.