DAVOS, Switzerland — Jan. 24, 2026 — The Government of Telangana, through Aikam™, its newly formed autonomous, unified and globally-oriented AI innovation entity, announced Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the world's lifelong learning company, as the first partner of Aikam™ to strengthen AI skilling, assessment, and credentialing as part of the Global AI Academy being built under Aikam™.
The collaboration, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, reflects a shared intent to support Telangana's ambition to build a future-ready AI talent pipeline aligned with global standards and industry needs.
Under the MoU, Pearson and Aikam™ will explore opportunities to work together on AI-focused education and skilling initiatives, leveraging Pearson's expertise in learning content, assessments, and globally recognized credentials.
The collaboration brings together Telangana's policy leadership and execution platform with Pearson's global experience in learning and credentialing, with the aim of enabling high-quality, industry-relevant AI learning pathways for students, professionals and institutions.
"Building AI capability at scale requires not just access to technology, but strong learning frameworks, trusted assessment, and globally portable credentials," said Sanjay Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Information Technology, Electronics & Communications and Industries & Commerce Department, Government of Telangana. "Our collaboration with Pearson supports our goal of creating a robust AI skilling ecosystem that is aligned with international standards while being responsive to India's and Telangana's talent needs."
"AI is reshaping how people learn, work and build careers," said Vishaal Gupta, President, Enterprise Learning & Skills. "Through this collaboration with the Government of Telangana and Aikam™, Pearson aims to contribute our global expertise in learning and credentialing to support learners and workers as they navigate this transformative era of AI. We are thrilled that this partnership can help address the urgent need to aid people in building the skills needed to work alongside new technologies."
"Aikam™ is being built as a global institution to convert AI ambition into durable, workforce-ready capability," said Phani Nagarjuna, Founding CEO, Aikam™. "Partnering with Pearson allows us to anchor AI skilling in globally trusted learning frameworks, assessments and credentials, while delivering at population scale. Together, we aim to create AI learning pathways that are internationally portable, industry-relevant and aligned with the future of work."
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. Visit us at plc.pearson.com.
About Aikam™
Aikam™ is India's first ecosystem-approach based open innovation entity, architected to propel the state into the ranks of the world's Top 20 Innovation Hubs. Aikam™ unleashes a first-of-its-kind innovation engine by converging critical pillars: the mobilization of population-scale datasets, mass upskilling of talent to create a globally competitive, AI-fluent workforce, and the nurturing of globally relevant AI-first startup acceleration, backed by significant high-performance compute infrastructure. This robust, AI-first ecosystem is fortified by globally recognized leadership and a deep financing model via a dedicated Fund-of-Funds. By fostering deep, symbiotic collaborations across top-tier global enterprises, research institutions, and academia, Aikam™ serves as a borderless 'Global Proving Ground' for responsible innovation where the world converges to solve humanity's most pressing challenges. To learn more, visit https://aikamglobal.ai or follow us on LinkedIn @Aikam.
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