OpenAI has signed an agreement with the government of Malta to provide ChatGPT Plus access to Maltese citizens after they complete a national artificial intelligence literacy course, in one of the broadest government-backed AI access programmes announced so far.
OpenAI has signed an agreement with the government of Malta to provide ChatGPT Plus access to Maltese citizens after they complete a national artificial intelligence literacy course, in one of the broadest government-backed AI access programmes announced so far.
OpenAI said the partnership with Malta is a “world’s first” effort to roll out ChatGPT Plus to all Maltese citizens. The company said the initiative is tied to an AI literacy course intended to help people use the technology in daily life and work.
The programme is part of Malta’s AI for All initiative, led by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority. The course was developed by the University of Malta and is designed to explain what AI is, what it can and cannot do, and how to use it responsibly at home, in education and at work.
Reuters reported that OpenAI said the deal would give residents access to ChatGPT Plus for one year after they complete a course on how to use AI. The programme will begin in May and is expected to expand as more people complete the training. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Malta Digital Innovation Authority said Maltese citizens and residents with an active eID account are eligible to participate. After completing three fundamental modules, participants will receive a free subscription to a designated AI platform. The license is personal, free for 12 months from activation and cannot be transferred or resold.
The course includes modules on AI fundamentals, everyday use and learning. Additional modules cover professional use, job seeking, entrepreneurship, accessibility and formal education. MDIA said no previous AI knowledge is required.
The agreement gives Malta a prominent position in the competition among governments to raise AI literacy and widen access to generative AI tools. Governments in Europe and elsewhere have been trying to balance AI adoption with concerns about skills, regulation, data protection, education and workforce disruption.
Silvio Schembri, Malta’s minister for economy, enterprise and strategic projects, said the programme is intended to give citizens the confidence and skills needed to use AI in a digital economy, according to OpenAI’s announcement. OpenAI also quoted Schembri as saying Malta was putting its people “at the very forefront of global change.”
George Osborne, head of OpenAI for Countries, said the partnership reflects a role for governments in expanding access to AI tools and training. OpenAI said the Malta agreement is part of its OpenAI for Countries initiative, which works with governments and institutions on AI adoption around national priorities.
For OpenAI, the deal extends its effort to work directly with governments rather than only selling AI tools to individuals, businesses and developers. The company said OpenAI for Countries is built around local priorities, including education, workforce training, public services, startup support and AI literacy.
OpenAI said it is already working with governments in countries including Estonia and Greece to support national education systems. Euronews reported that OpenAI’s Malta agreement is its first partnership with a national government to bring the paid version of ChatGPT to residents for free.
The Malta programme also shows how access to paid AI services may become part of national digital policy. ChatGPT Plus is OpenAI’s paid consumer subscription tier, offering wider access to the company’s tools than the free version. The Malta deal uses public training as the gateway to access, rather than distributing subscriptions without instruction.
That structure may help address one of the main concerns around generative AI adoption: users often gain access to powerful tools without understanding their limitations. MDIA said the programme is designed to teach participants how to spot unreliable or misleading AI outputs, protect privacy and personal data, and make better decisions about when to use AI and when not to.
For businesses, the programme is likely to be watched as an early test of nationwide AI upskilling. If successful, it could provide a model for governments that want to improve productivity and digital skills without limiting AI access to students, specialists or large companies.
Small businesses could be among the direct beneficiaries. MDIA’s course is aimed at a wide audience, including job seekers, professionals, creatives, entrepreneurs and business leaders. The additional modules include AI for professionals and AI for entrepreneurship.
The programme also raises practical questions. Governments adopting similar models would need to decide which AI platforms qualify, how subscriptions are funded, how user access is verified, how privacy is protected and how training is updated as AI systems change.
Malta’s approach uses its online identity system to manage access. Euronews reported that citizens and residents registered with Malta’s online identity system can apply after completing the AI for All course. MDIA said registration will be through an online platform accessible by eID.
The agreement comes as AI companies seek deeper institutional adoption. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and other AI developers are competing for users in education, government, enterprise software and public services. Government-backed programmes can give AI platforms broader adoption and position them as part of national infrastructure.
For Malta, the deal offers a way to increase AI exposure across the population while connecting access to training. The government is presenting the programme as a digital skills initiative rather than only a software giveaway.
OpenAI’s announcement described intelligence as becoming a “national utility,” language that reflects how AI providers are increasingly framing their services as infrastructure for work, learning and public life.
The first phase of the programme is scheduled to launch in May. It will scale as more Maltese residents and citizens abroad complete the course, according to OpenAI.
The deal gives Malta a first-mover position in a policy area likely to expand as governments seek practical ways to prepare citizens for AI use. It also gives OpenAI a national deployment case that could be used in discussions with other governments.
For now, the programme’s success will depend on execution: whether citizens complete the training, whether the subscription access is delivered smoothly, and whether users apply the tools in ways that improve work, learning and everyday tasks.