AP plans YouTube Academy to upgrade youth skills in AI, content creation

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh government is exploring the possibility of setting up a YouTube academy, with certification programmes to foster the development of the latest skills in the State’s youth.

On Tuesday, chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu discussed investments in AP with YouTube Global CEO Neal Mohan and Google APAC Head Sanjay Gupta.

As a part of the online meeting, the officials discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with local partners.

In a post on X, Naidu wrote, “We discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with local partners, to foster AI, content development, skill development and certification programmes.”

Furthermore, the heads explored avenues for providing technical support for the Media City initiative in Amaravati, a pet project of Naidu, being built in approximately Ac 53,748 of area. As per the plans developed by Singapore, Amaravati would house a sports city, government city, tourism city, finance city, justice city, knowledge city, media city, health city and electronics city, nine in total, the CM said.

How will YouTube benefit the State’s youth?

YouTube Academy stated that it helps YouTubers learn better skills to take their ideas to the next level.

For example, the YouTube Creator Academy by Google News Initiative offers free online lessons and courses that help strengthen YouTube skills, build an audience and optimise the channel for success.

While more details are yet to be disclosed by the government, the YouTube Academy will likely generate employment for many youths through certification programmes for their skill development.

During the recent Union Budget, the Central Government announced Rs 15,000 crores as financial assistance for the State towards the development of Amaravati.

YouTube’s global investment in creators

According to a blog post by Neal Mohan in February, more than three million channels are in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which provides ways to earn money on YouTube. The company paid over $70 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the last three years.

“With generative AI coming in, YouTube will develop new ways of empowering creative expression, managing rights, and driving revenue for our partners,” he said.

An MoU is slated for signing between the Andhra Pradesh government and Google under the initiative "AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google." This comprehensive partnership will encompass AI applications in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability, as well as skill development, startup ecosystems, AI workforce cultivation, MSME support through digital credit and AI-driven governance.