Google Fellowship Trains Community Leaders in AI

Google's Data Center Community AI Fellowship is training entrepreneurs and community leaders to address local challenges using AI technology.

The program, powered by Watson Institute, runs from September 1, 2026, to January 14, 2027, and is fully funded, according to Google and Watson Institute.

Fellows will receive entrepreneurship and AI skills training, mentorship from practitioners, financial tools, and access to Google's AI products and resources. They will also participate in a Virtual Summit on January 14, where they will present their local projects to entrepreneurs, community leaders, Google representatives, and peers.

Eligibility is tied to specific Google data center communities rather than being open across each eligible country. In the US, those locations are Austell and Douglas County and the greater Atlanta area in Georgia; Berkeley County in South Carolina; Council Bluffs or Cedar Rapids in Iowa; Fort Wayne in Indiana; Loudoun, Chesterfield, Botetourt, and Prince William counties in Virginia; Midlothian and Red Oak in Texas; Omaha or Lincoln in Nebraska; and Stillwater or Tulsa, including the Pryor and Muskogee areas, in Oklahoma.

International eligibility covers Groningen in the Netherlands; Hamina and Kotka in Finland; and Waltham Cross and Hertfordshire, Thurrock or Epping and Essex, and the greater London area in the UK. Applicants can lead either for-profit or nonprofit initiatives, and the program particularly welcomes leaders working on AI and technical skills training, workforce development, and career pathways connected to employment, economic mobility, or skills-based opportunities.