Malta gives all citizens a year of ChatGPT Plus
Malta has become the first country where OpenAI is offering all residents ChatGPT Plus for a year. There is one condition: they must complete an AI literacy cou
OpenAI has signed a historic agreement with the Government of Malta. For one year, all citizens and residents of the island will receive free access to ChatGPT Plus — this is the first government partnership of this scale in the company's history.
How the Program Works
There's just one condition: first, you need to complete an online course on AI literacy, developed by the University of Malta in partnership with OpenAI. It's not a marathon of boring lectures — the program is designed for accessible understanding of the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, its real capabilities, and potential risks. The course will be open to everyone, from schoolchildren to retirees, with no age or educational restrictions, and will take approximately 20-30 hours of study.
After completing the training, each participant receives full access to the paid version of ChatGPT for one year. This means: no limit on the number of requests, priority in processing queue, access to new features and functions, including new models like GPT-5.5, if it launches during the program period.
The Maltese Government partially funds the program through the Ministry of Education, recognizing that AI literacy is a public good, not a private service.
Why Malta
The choice is no accident. Malta is a small state (about 500,000 citizens), but it actively positions itself as a tech hub of the Mediterranean with favorable regulation for crypto, startups, and digital innovation. OpenAI chose it as an ideal pilot market — manageable size, an interested government, high internet penetration, and willingness to experiment with technology. Previously, OpenAI had collaborated with universities and companies, but never at the state level with the goal of nationwide coverage. This sends a signal to the market: big AI doesn't see itself as a service only for elites.
Why AI Literacy Matters at All
When Malta was negotiating with OpenAI, one idea was central: mass adoption of AI must go hand in hand with understanding its limitations and risks. People who use ChatGPT without context often believe the model's hallucinations, don't fact-check, don't know which tasks AI still struggles with. This is dangerous for politics, health, justice. The course from the University of Malta will cover:
- How neural networks work (in simplified form)
- What hallucination is and why models lie
- How to properly compose a prompt and get the desired result
- Where to use AI responsibly: at work, in school, in life
- What data shouldn't be entered into public AI services
The idea is simple: an informed user is a responsible user.
What This Really Means
On the surface — good PR for both sides. OpenAI demonstrates social responsibility, Malta gains status as a tech leader and improves the digital skills of its population. But deeper, the program implements three important things. First, it removes the financial barrier to entry: ChatGPT Plus remains inaccessible to most due to subscription cost. Second, it limits illiterate use by requiring education. Third, it creates a positive narrative: AI is a tool accessible to everyone. For the industry, this is an important precedent. The program launched for one year. If results prove positive, OpenAI could scale the model to other countries, especially in Europe, where regulatory pressure requires social support and trust in AI.