Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Sri Lankan students will soon gain free access to Google’s Gemini Advanced research tools and a suite of digital resources, following months of collaboration between the government and tech giant, the Digital Economy Ministry announced yesterday.

The update was delivered at National AI Expo 2025 in Colombo by Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, who said the initiative marks a turning point for education and innovation in the country.

The effort will be rolled out from mid-October.

This is a game changer. Every student in our nation will soon have access, at no cost, to powerful, world-class AI tools, cloud platforms and learning resources,” Weeraratne told the fully packed audience at the expo. According to him, the government’s ambition is not just for the students to use AI but to master it.  With access to such powerful tools comes great responsibility. Use them to build, to innovate and to solve the greatest challenges of our time but always use them wisely, ethically and for the benefit of Sri Lanka and the world,” he said.

Calling on the nation’s youth to seize the opportunity, Weeraratne urged the students to stay curious and continue learning as they prepare to define a new era. 

He also challenged the innovators to share the solutions to pressing national issues with the investors and for businesses to back young talent to create a globally competitive industry rooted in Sri Lanka.

So, let us work together, with passion and purpose, to build a smarter, more prosperous and more compassionate Sri Lanka,” he said, asserting that the announcement is the first in a series of new initiatives to support the country’s AI journey.