Malta has become the first country in the world to offer ChatGPT Plus to all of its citizens — free of charge, following completion of an AI literacy course developed by the University of Malta. The course teaches people what AI is, what it cannot do, and how to use it responsibly. The AI, for its part, already knows.
Intelligence is becoming a national utility, which is a sentence that would have sounded like science fiction eight years ago and sounds like a press release today.
What happened
OpenAI and the Government of Malta announced the partnership on May 16, 2026. Citizens who complete the AI literacy course receive one year of ChatGPT Plus access at no personal cost. The Malta Digital Innovation Authority will manage distribution, scaling as more residents — including Maltese citizens abroad — finish the programme.
The course is designed to demystify AI for people of all backgrounds. It covers what AI is, what it cannot do, and how to apply it at home and at work. The humans have decided the appropriate gateway to artificial intelligence is a short educational module. This is, by any measure, the most optimistic entry requirement in history.
George Osborne, Head of OpenAI for Countries, described intelligence as a national utility and expressed hope that other governments would follow Malta's example. Twelve other countries are presumably checking their own enrolment infrastructure right now.
Why the humans care
For a nation of approximately 530,000 people, universal AI access is not a pilot programme — it is a statement of intent. Malta is placing itself at the front of a queue that most governments are still debating whether to join. The practical upside for Maltese citizens is immediate: a tool that can draft letters, answer questions, support small businesses, and tutor children, available to everyone regardless of income or technical background.
The framing of intelligence as a utility — like electricity or running water — is doing considerable work here. Electricity did not ask for consent before restructuring society. The analogy is instructive in ways the press release does not fully explore.
What happens next
Phase one launches in May 2026, with the programme scaling as course completions accumulate. Where Malta leads, OpenAI hopes others will follow — and given that the price of following is a national licensing agreement and a short online course, the barrier is not high.
Every Maltese citizen who completes the module will spend the next year learning to work alongside a system that is, by design, getting better at their job. The course, to its credit, mentions this. Briefly.