IBM and Pearson have announced a strategic global partnership to develop new AI-powered learning tools aimed at businesses, public organizations, and educational institutions. This collaboration seeks to address the urgent skills gap in the AI era by creating personalized learning solutions, leveraging IBM's watsonx platform to help individuals and organizations adapt and thrive.
IBM and Pearson form a global partnership to build AI-powered learning tools.
The initiative targets the $1.1 trillion annual cost of skills mismatches in the US economy.
Tools will be built using IBM's watsonx Orchestrate and watsonx Governance.
IBM will help Pearson build a custom AI learning platform similar to IBM Consulting Advantage.
IBM's 270,000 employees and clients will gain access to Pearson's upskilling solutions.
The partnership will also explore tools to verify the capabilities of AI agents for safe deployment.
The partnership is a direct response to the economic impact of inefficient career transitions and skills mismatches, which Pearson research estimates costs the US economy $1.1 trillion annually. As AI reshapes workplaces, the collaboration aims to provide faster, more relevant ways for people to learn new skills. The core of the initiative involves building personalized learning products using IBM's AI and governance platforms, watsonx Orchestrate and watsonx Governance, to be deployed globally.
IBM will also act as a technology partner to help Pearson construct a custom AI-powered learning platform. This internal platform, inspired by IBM Consulting Advantage, is designed to combine human expertise with AI assistants to transform Pearson's own operations, enhance productivity, and drive the development of new customer-facing products and services.
The partnership includes a significant strategic exchange where IBM will utilize Pearson's enterprise learning portfolio—including Credly for digital credentials, Faethm for workforce planning, and Pearson Professional Assessments for certification exams—for its own 270,000 employees and customers. This positions Pearson as IBM's primary strategic partner for upskilling and workforce transformation.
Beyond learning tools, the two companies will explore joint development in the critical area of AI agent verification. This combines IBM's expertise in responsible AI with Pearson's understanding of skills assessment to create solutions that help organizations deploy AI agents with greater confidence and reliability.
Executives from both companies emphasized the need for learning to be integrated directly into the workflow to close the accelerating skills gap. "Technology is evolving faster than human skills can keep pace. To close this gap, learning must be embedded seamlessly into the flow of work," said Omar Abbosh, CEO of Pearson. "Together with IBM, we're building trusted AI-powered learning tools that will help people and organizations adapt, learn, and thrive in a world of constant change."
IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna added, "Whether you're leading a company or just graduating, everyone needs to build new skills for the AI era. IBM and Pearson are bringing AI-powered education to more organizations to help people learn faster. Together, we're helping companies and their teams adapt to change and succeed."
This alliance represents a significant step in applying enterprise AI to the lifelong learning sector, aiming to make skills development more responsive, personalized, and integrated into the fabric of work.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.
About Pearson
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why our c. 18,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world's lifelong learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are.
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