By QS in AI & Digital Innovation — 01 Aug 2025

🚀 AI Education Race Intensifies. NYC Summit 9-11 Sept.

Tech firms and governments are racing to lead (or at least not to be left behind) in AI for education. From OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, to Pearson and HCLTech. Join us at HolonIQ's Back to School Summit in NYC this September!

Hello 👋

📆 This Week. Tech firms are vying to be the leader of agentic AI applications in education. OpenAI and Google dropped fresh updates to their AI services, each aiming to lead AI implementation in classroom education. Anthropic launched Claude for Education and Pearson through its recent collaboration with HCLTech highlights how EdTechs and tech firms are synchronizing capabilities to develop AI-powered learning solutions. The race for AI leadership extends beyond private enterprise, with governments also investing in efforts to scale AI training. Policymakers are eyeing the K-12 landscape, as seen in recent measures by Peru and Brazil, to promote AI integration.

⭐ AI & Digital Innovation Spotlight

Tech firms and EdTechs are advancing AI usage across sectors. While some firms are striving to be the market leader, others choose more collaborative means to support AI integration in education. Platform subscribers can explore the AI in K-12 and Higher Education Market Maps to learn more about tech solutions that aim to support AI integration in education.

💡 OpenAI launched ChatGPT Study Mode for guided student learning, providing step-by-step reasoning and acting as a virtual tutor with adaptive hints and quizzes.

👩🏻‍💻 Pearson and HCLTech partnered to accelerate skills development, co-developing AI-powered products that leverage HCLTech's GenAI platform and Career Shaper to address global skills gaps and advance careers in the AI era.

📚 Google announced several updates to its AI Mode to enhance search functionality, including the Canvas feature that facilitates personalized study guides through document uploads, and Search Live, which integrates real-time visual assistance.

📘 Anthropic unveils Claude for Education, a gen-AI initiative for universities. Claude for Education is a campus-wide version of its Claude AI assistant featuring a new Learning Mode that guides students through Socratic questioning and integrates with tools like Canvas, Wiley, and Panopto to support study guides, feedback workflows, and research-based learning.

🔎 EdTech AI 300

AI EdTech solutions are transforming the learning landscape, moving beyond traditional methods to create intelligent systems that streamline and enhance education. These innovations span language learning, personalized tutoring, and advanced analytics, empowering learners and educators to adapt to evolving educational and workforce demands.In this analysis, HolonIQ mapped the 300 most innovative AI solution providers across the education landscape. There is clear momentum and growing curiosity around identifying who the leading AI innovators are across the learner lifecycle.

If you aren't already a customer, request a Demo today for access to HolonIQ's market data, analysis and briefings.

🤝 Policy & Partnerships

Governments and industry players are joining forces to deploy AI for national development, advancing workforce skills, enhancing teacher training, and tackling systemic education challenges like student dropouts.

🦾 The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched an AI Assistant, developed alongside Meta and NSDC, which delivers skilling and employment services through Skill India Digital Hub and WhatsApp, promoting digital access.

✨ The UK government partnered with Google Cloud to modernize infrastructure and upskill 100K workers, aiming to enhance public services, reduce costs, and strengthen cybersecurity defenses.

🇬🇧 The UK Government and OpenAI signed a partnership to equip education, security, and justice sectors with AI technology, enhancing services and fostering new AI development within the UK.

🇺🇸 2025 Back to School Summit, Sept 9-11,NYC

Join CEOs and influential leaders at the 2025 Back to School Summit, September 10–11 in New York City. Register Here. Two days of high-impact presentations, private roundtables, fireside chats, and curated networking with top companies, global foundations, and major institutional investors. Connect with us for the 2025 Sponsorship Brochure.

💪 Power Moves

🌐 South Korea added 32 universities to its International Student Orientation program, totaling 73 institutions, aiming to help international students adapt.

🤝 US and Pakistan launched the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in collaboration with Arizona State University, and NIT will enroll its first cohort in 2025, offering programs co-designed with ASU faculty.

💸 The US Department of Education released over $7B in school program funds nationwide, following a pause earlier in July.

💰 Education Funding

📝 Ucademy, a Spanish test prep provider, raised $4.1M to personalise test prep with AI and expand learning verticals

💻 Sdui, a German school management system provider, raised an undisclosed amount to enhance product offerings and contribute to the company’s vision of becoming a unified digital platform for Europe.

👶 TALi Digital Limited, an Australian early learning solution provider, acquired the social-emotional learning program You Can Do It! (YCDI!).