Educational Conglomerate Pearson Adding Generative AI-Based Study Tools

Educational conglomerate Pearson is adding new generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based study tools to its real-time personalized learning experience.

The firm’s online textbook and assessment platforms Pearson+ and Mastering will bring ChatGPT-style AI tools to students, designed to provide real-time support for quick and efficient learning, and will be implemented in time for the upcoming academic year, Bloomberg reported Monday (July 31).

Among the many new features will be the “On a Tight Schedule” feature, which uses AI to summarize learning videos for quick absorption of key points, according to the report. Chief Product Officer Tony Prentice also highlighted an AI-assisted learning tool designed to help students with difficult problems by generating questions to guide them to an accurate answer.

Pearson CEO Andy Bird said, per the report, “Generative AI is a real, long-term positive to the company.”

The executives also said the new AI-enabled system will be integrated with the firm’s existing proprietary resources and will enable students to quickly and efficiently move between its eTexts and the AI chatbot.

In June, Pearson announced an “AI Summer Reading List” of titles it publishes that can help students and professionals understand and use generative AI.

“AI is the most talked about technology that is revolutionizing how we live and interact with each other,” Bird said in a press release announcing the list. “To harness its power responsibly, leaders and learners must have the resources to understand its potential and associated challenges.”

Monday’s report comes on the same day that work marketplace Upwork and ChatGPT creator OpenAI said they were teaming up to give OpenAI customers and other businesses access to professionals who are “deeply experienced” with the company’s AI technologies.

PYMNTS research has found that with generative AI taking off exponentially, companies are already realizing labor- and cost-saving applications in every field, from healthcare to finance.

To gain a competitive edge in today’s increasingly complex business environment, organization are integrating AI solutions that automate workflows and business processes, creating new programs that efficiently manage operational costs while improving performance, according to “Preparing for a Generative AI World,” the May edition of the “Generative AI Tracker Series,” a PYMNTS and AI-ID collaboration.