IBM and Pearson Partner to Launch AI-Powered Learning Tools for Organizations and Learners
IBM and Pearson announced a global partnership to build personalized, AI-powered learning products for businesses, public organizations, and educational institutions. The tools will be available worldwide and are built using IBM's watsonx Orchestrate and watsonx Governance, with a focus on speed, relevance, and trust.
Pearson's recent research points to a clear problem: inefficient career transitions and skills mismatches could cost the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion in lost earnings every year. For educators and L&D leaders, that's a signal to rethink how skills are built, verified, and updated-right where work happens.
Why this matters for education leaders
- New AI-powered learning experiences: Personalized tools built on IBM's watsonx stack, including watsonx Governance for oversight and transparency.
- A custom learning platform: IBM will help Pearson build an AI-enabled platform-similar in spirit to IBM Consulting Advantage-that blends human expertise with AI assistants, agents, and reusable assets.
- Enterprise-grade credentialing and planning: Pearson's Credly for digital credentials, Faethm for strategic workforce planning, and Pearson Professional Assessments for certification delivery. See Credly for how verified skills travel across employers.
- Immediate enterprise reach: As a primary strategic partner for upskilling, Pearson's solutions will support IBM customers and IBM's 270,000 employees.
- Trust in AI agents: IBM and Pearson will explore tools to verify AI agent capabilities so organizations can deploy them with confidence.
Practical takeaways for institutions and L&D teams
- Embed learning in the flow of work: Align short, job-relevant learning with on-the-job tasks. Reduce context switching and measure impact on productivity.
- Credential what matters: Map courses and microlearning to employer-recognized badges and certifications to make outcomes visible and portable.
- Plan for skills shifts: Use workforce planning tools to spot emerging roles, close gaps, and inform curriculum updates ahead of demand.
- Set clear AI governance: Define policies for data, model oversight, and agent verification to protect learners and institutions.
- Train the trainers: Equip faculty and facilitators to work with AI assistants and agents so they can coach, not compete with, the technology.
- Track outcomes, not hours: Tie programs to performance metrics-time to proficiency, completion-to-credential rates, and role mobility.
What's coming
The partnership will deliver new AI-enabled products and services and transform Pearson's internal operations to improve workflows, productivity, and data-driven decision-making. Both companies noted they will also pursue joint go-to-market initiatives. As with any forward-looking plans, future direction and intent may change.
Leaders weigh in
"Technology is evolving faster than human skills can keep pace. To close this gap, learning must be embedded seamlessly into the flow of work. When people learn where work happens, it has an immediate impact on productivity and performance," 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."
"Whether you're leading a company or just graduating, everyone needs to build new skills for the AI era," said Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM. "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, while helping Pearson transform its own internal operations."
Where this fits in your strategy
If you're running academic programs or enterprise L&D, the signal is clear: prioritize skills that tie directly to outcomes, verify them with credentials, and deliver learning inside the workstream. AI assistants and agents can speed content creation, assessment, and tutoring-your job is to set standards, measure results, and keep trust at the center.
Want curated pathways for AI skills by role? Explore our job-focused collections on Complete AI Training to support your teams and programs.
About IBM and Pearson
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud, AI, and consulting expertise, helping clients in more than 175 countries use data to streamline processes, reduce costs, and gain an edge.
Pearson is the world's lifelong learning company, offering assessment, credentialing, workforce planning, and education products used by learners, employers, and institutions worldwide.
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