AI Opportunity Fund targets educators in Asia Pacific

AVPN, Asia's largest platform for social impact, is deepening its focus on AI integration in education with the launch of the third phase of its AI Opportunity Fund. Launched in 2024 with support from Google and the Asian Development Bank, the fund has received an additional US$10 million from Google.org, bringing the total commitment to US$35 million.

The initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of educators and youth in leveraging AI. "When a teacher gains AI fluency and embeds it into how they teach, that impact carries through every student they teach for years," says Young Park, director of the AI Opportunity Fund at AVPN. Previous phases have seen the fund train over 850,000 workers and 63,000 small businesses across more than a dozen markets.

The third phase emphasizes locally embedded training partners delivering programs in over 30 languages. Tran Xuan Tho, a lecturer at Dalat College in Vietnam, is among the educators engaged through the fund. He highlights the challenges of rapidly changing technology and knowledge in education, and how AI can help reduce time spent on repetitive tasks like grading and reporting.

Moving forward, the fund will integrate regional education networks and consolidate learning resources. Educators are exploring personalized learning solutions and subject-specific AI tools, aiming to improve teaching quality and free up more time for students. The program seeks to ensure AI is used critically and responsibly across the Asia Pacific region.