Microsoft wants to help ensure everyone in Washington state has access to AI

For more than a century, Washington state has punched well above its weight. From the first flights of a global aerospace giant to the rise of world-leading technology firms and retail companies, our state has been a launchpad for groundbreaking innovations. Today, as cloud and AI technologies reshape the world, Washington stands at the edge of another transformation-one that will define the future of work, learning, and opportunity.

We believe the future starts here at home. That's why we're investing in the people who live, learn, and teach in our own backyard. Our goal? To ensure the state of Washington benefits first from the innovations we are creating for the world. We want to ensure that Washington not only remains a national hub for technology and entrepreneurship but that our students are among the most prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

Today, we see a troubling trend-one that could undermine our shared future. Analysis of Microsoft data by our AI for Good Lab shows a marked disparity in AI use across the state. In counties with the highest use of AI along the Puget Sound-Snohomish, King, Pierce, and Whatcom-AI is already used by more than 30 percent of the population. Snohomish leads with 35 percent. Yet in seven rural counties in eastern Washington, usage drops well below 10 percent. Ferry County ranks lowest, with just 2.5 percent of residents using AI-a tenfold gap compared to the state's most connected regions. Download the full dataset.

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As we've learned firsthand from working for a decade on broadband accessibility across the state, this isn't just a technology gap; it's an opportunity gap. Because in tomorrow's economy, those who understand and use AI will do better than those who don't.

Microsoft Elevate Washington: A homegrown commitment

That's why today we're launching Microsoft Elevate Washington-an important new initiative to help ensure that everyone across our home state can access AI technology and develop the skills to use it. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we've shaped this effort in close collaboration with a broad coalition of voices from across Washington. Most importantly, we're committed to working shoulder to shoulder with educators-because they are the driving force behind our shared vision for the future.

This new initiative will bring the world's most advanced AI tools and training free of charge to every high school and community college student across our state, regardless of zip code. This is more than a program-it's a promise to Washington's 100,000 educators and 500,000 high school and community college students. A promise that they will be equipped with the very best technology to navigate-and help shape-this new era.

We're backing this commitment with grants to accelerate adoption and innovation, support for early adopters of AI-powered teaching and learning, and professional development for educators to better engage students and lighten administrative workloads.

When we invest in our educators, we invest in our students. And when we invest in our students, we invest in the future of Washington.

What we're offering

For school districts and community colleges

Starting January 2026, we'll provide Copilot Studio to Washington State's 295 school districts and 34 community colleges free of charge for up to three years. This powerful tool allows administrators and staff to build custom AI agents-no coding required-to help transform how these districts and community colleges support learning.

With Copilot Studio, these institutions can use AI and AI agents to help streamline scheduling, enhance data analysis, support school year planning, and help teachers plan for classes-enabling faster, more informed decision-making and freeing up time for more meaningful student engagement.

In addition, Microsoft will provide up to 10 school districts and 10 community colleges with $25,000 in dedicated technology consulting to help them build and deploy AI agents tailored to their teaching and workplace needs. The company will then help these institutions spread what they learn to administrators and educators across the state to jump-start AI expertise more broadly.

For high school students (grades 9-12)

Beginning July 2026, high school students across Washington will receive free access for up to three years to Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 desktop apps, Learning Accelerators, and Teams for Education. This will also include AI-powered learning experiences grounded in learning science to help foster critical thinking and engagement and will launch in the coming weeks and months.

These tools will help students build fluency in AI, boost productivity, develop digital literacy, and improve learning outcomes. They will help improve reading fluency and comprehension and build critical information literacy. By tailoring feedback and guidance to each student's pace and needs, these new AI tools will support academic growth and critical thinking.

For community college students

Microsoft will offer all community college students in Washington State 12 months of free usage of Microsoft 365 Personal, including Copilot integration across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. This offer, available through November 15, 2025, will help students manage coursework, collaborate on projects, and build digital skills with AI-powered tools. This subscription includes one terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage, Microsoft Defender for security, and creative tools, including Designer for image editing.

For educators

Microsoft will support state education agencies to help provide high-quality AI professional development to educators and administrative staff. Working with Washington's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Washington Education Association (WEA), and the National Education Association (NEA), Microsoft will support AI training programs focused on streamlining administrative tasks and enhancing operational efficiencies.

This initiative will make AI professional development available to all 295 public school districts and accessible to all certificated teachers, instructional assistants, and administrative staff. The company will also support the state agencies' AI Innovation Summit-an in-person and virtual conference hosted by all K-12 agencies-we will help bring together over 1,000 educators, board members, and administrators to explore AI adoption, implementation, and best practices in education.

Additionally, we will deliver Generative AI for Educators training and role-based generative AI training across all 34 community and technical colleges. And we will collaborate with the NEA and WEA to strengthen AI readiness among their local affiliates.

We will back these efforts with cash grants to support Washington's K-12 schools and community colleges to help educators integrate AI into their preparation and instruction, ultimately enhancing teaching, learning, and efficiency.

Building a movement

All this builds on our global July announcement of Microsoft Elevate, a new business unit focused on supporting schools, colleges, and nonprofits with technology, training, and funding. Through this new initiative, we'll contribute more than $4 billion over the next 5 years in cash and cloud services to help these institutions around the world advance their missions.

We know that we can't do this alone and that our success will require a statewide movement. That's why we're leaning in with state agencies, school districts, and community organizations to help us reach every corner of our state.

We are collaborating with nonprofits like Code.org to bring the Hour of AI to students across the state, including rallying our 50,000-plus employees in Washington to lead a workshop that showcases real-world applications and student-led innovation.

We're supporting youth development workers, college and career navigators, and community leaders with tailored generative AI training to help them serve their communities more effectively.

And finally, we'll launch an open call for innovators to partner with education institutions and build scalable, AI-enabled solutions that improve learning and career readiness. If you're passionate about education and technology, we want to hear from you.

An enduring commitment to Washington's future

Microsoft was born in Washington, and our roots run deep. As we look to the future, our commitment is unwavering: to empower every student, every educator, and every community in our state to thrive in the era of AI. Together, we can build a future where Washington leads the nation-and where every young person growing up in our backyard has the chance to achieve more.

We're inviting every Washingtonian to join us in this journey-because the future of AI isn't about machines. It's about people. It's about creativity. It's about solving real problems and expanding opportunities broadly.

Tags: AI, digital skills, Washington state