AWS launches Australia's first AI ambassador search

Amazon Web Services has launched a nationwide search for a university student to become its first AWS AI Ambassador in Australia. The programme centres on a one-year collaboration with Duck Labs.

The selected student will work with Duck Labs and AWS specialists on projects using generative artificial intelligence, machine learning and data tools, while receiving mentoring, training and industry exposure. The role is open to students from all academic disciplines and universities across Australia.

The initiative comes as technology groups and employers try to broaden the pipeline of workers with practical experience in artificial intelligence. By opening the role to students beyond computer science and engineering, AWS is seeking applicants with interests ranging from business and law to health, education and the arts.

Duck Labs, an Australian technology education company, works with young people and students on digital skills and applied AI projects. Under the arrangement, the ambassador will spend a year contributing to work designed to address real business and community problems.

The student will gain access to cloud and AI training, as well as guidance from technical and business staff. AWS has positioned the programme as part of a broader effort to connect industry with emerging talent and give students practical experience that complements university study.

For Duck Labs, the partnership offers a route to a larger national audience at a time when demand for AI literacy is spreading across sectors. Employers in Australia have stepped up recruitment for data, automation and AI-related roles, while universities have faced pressure to equip students with workplace skills that match fast-changing technology needs.

The ambassador search is intended to identify a student who can also act as a public-facing advocate for responsible and creative uses of AI among peers. That places the role somewhere between an internship, a training placement and a student representative position.

AWS linked the scheme to a broader debate over access to AI opportunities. Students at metropolitan universities often have stronger links to industry than those in regional areas, and national programmes are increasingly presented as a way to narrow that gap.

Matt Denham, Chief Executive Officer of Duck Labs, described the reasoning behind the collaboration in comments released alongside the launch.

"We're seeing extraordinary creativity and curiosity from students across Australia when it comes to AI, but many still lack access to meaningful, real-world opportunities to apply those skills. This partnership with AWS is about changing that by giving one student the chance to learn by doing, while inspiring thousands more to see what's possible," Denham said.

AWS also set out its view of the programme's role in developing early-career talent.

"AI will shape the future of every industry, and students from every discipline should have the opportunity to help shape that future. Through the AWS AI Ambassador programme, we want to support emerging talent with the tools, mentorship and experience to explore AI in ways that are practical, ethical and impactful," Denham said.

The search is being promoted as a national opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate students, with the successful candidate expected to work across AI-focused assignments and student engagement activities during the year-long term. The role is designed to expose the ambassador to commercial problem-solving as well as communication work around how AI is used in practice.

The launch adds to a growing list of education and workforce initiatives tied to generative AI, as large technology companies compete to shape training pathways and relationships with universities. In Australia, that competition has expanded beyond research partnerships and cloud credits to include scholarships, micro-credentials, student programmes and direct collaboration with education-focused start-ups.

Duck Labs said the partnership is intended to make applied AI experience more visible and accessible to students who may not otherwise see a route into the sector. AWS said the programme aims to help the ambassador build practical experience while encouraging wider student participation in AI-related work.

Applications are open to university students across Australia, regardless of field of study.