Pearson launches innovation Lab for AI and immersive learning tech

Pearson CEO Omar Abbosh shared on LinkedIn that the company has opened “Pearson Labs,” a new innovation space at its London headquarters dedicated to developing and testing emerging learning technologies.

In his post, Abbosh highlighted the importance of hands-on experimentation, saying, “I truly believe that you can’t really innovate on paper—you have to let your hands get a bit dirty actually making things.”

The Lab is designed to support product development, research, and collaboration with partners, educators, and learners. Abbosh added that the initiative will help Pearson “work with our partners to learn and experiment with new and useful tools that improve education and learning,” emphasizing that investing in experimentation will also strengthen the business.

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Focus on AI, immersive learning, and scalable solutions

Pearson Labs will focus on developing scalable tools using generative AI, immersive technologies, and extended reality (XR) to support lifelong learning across education and the workplace. The space will act as a testbed for prototypes, customer research, and applied use cases that can inform future products.

Dave Treat, Pearson’s Chief Technology Officer, says, “Pearson is at the forefront of innovation for teaching and learning, and we are excited to launch the Lab as a new way to engage with customers, partners and employees to create enhanced learning experiences. The Lab will be a collaborative space where we can explore not only how emerging technologies are changing the way we learn today, but also how they could shape the learning of tomorrow.”

Employees will also have access to the Lab for upskilling and collaborative projects, making it a hub for internal experimentation as well as external partnerships.

Partnerships driving innovation

Pearson Labs will leverage partnerships with major technology companies to accelerate immersive learning projects. These include an agreement with Meta for Education to test the impact of XR experiences on assessments and student outcomes, and a collaboration with Google’s Android XR platform aligned with the company’s existing Google Cloud partnership.

Pearson is also partnering with Vū Technologies, which provides immersive media and generative AI tools. The Vū One System will be installed within the Lab for internal prototyping of AI-driven personalized content for students and educators.

The Lab’s work will be informed by ongoing customer data and feedback, helping Pearson align new technologies with learner needs while showcasing current and future products.

Abbosh concluded in his LinkedIn post that “the Labs space will take things to new heights for our people, customers, and partners,” reinforcing Pearson’s focus on innovation in lifelong learning.