Aya is an open science initiative launched to address the lack of representation for many languages in current NLP technology by developing a state-of-the-art multilingual generative language model. This ambitious yearlong project aims to release open-source datasets and models and is supported by Cohere For AI, alongside a global community of researchers, engineers, linguists, social scientists, and lifelong learners from over 100 countries. The initiative encourages contributions from individuals passionate about advancing NLP for under-resourced languages. Looking forward, the project aims to demonstrate that top-tier research can be conducted with diverse global participation, expressing gratitude for the community's support and enthusiasm.