The UK government has selected six partner firms to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring tools which will be offered free to pupils around the UK.
This step is part of the government’s plan to make educational resources more easily accessible to students regardless of their socio-economic background, which it said will help to level the playing field for those who, in many cases, do not have access to technology at home and or are unable to afford private tutoring.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “Every child deserves access to world-class support with their schoolwork, regardless of their background or what their parents can afford. Today we are taking a step closer to making that a reality.
“AI tutors could transform how young people learn, giving them personalised support. This means adapting to how a child learns, giving them extra help where they need it and the chance to go further where they can.
“With up to 450,000 disadvantaged children set to benefit from this ambitious investment, this is a decisive step towards breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving every young person the best start in life.”
As it stands, AI skills are not even widespread among tech workers, and access to AI and the ability to use it depends on many factors including gender and socioeconomic background.
The government hopes free-to-access AI tutoring tools, as long as they are developed alongside teachers and in parallel with the curriculum, will give approximately 450,000 children the opportunity to access personalised support for their schoolwork they may not otherwise have.
The government has selected six UK-based companies to develop these AI tutoring tools – Eedi, Eleven Labs, Learn Anything, Medly AI, Pearson (in partnership with Anthropic) and Zero Gravity – which will work alongside teachers and other experts to ensure the resources are suitable for use in schools.
The tools will be aimed at pupils in years 9 and 10 for English, maths, science and modern foreign languages, and must be developed with the national curriculum in mind, be useable in a classroom environment and clearly show how will be benefit students from less advantaged backgrounds, proving they are accessible, inclusive and usable.
Schools hope the use of these tools will not only provide young people with free tutoring, but will also help teachers to identify early whether there is a specific area a child is struggling with.
Each of the selected firms will receive £300,000 in funding for the project, and the government has stated the selection of British firms as part of this process also contributes towards support for home-grown business.
Liz Kendall said: “We want British companies to lead the world in building that technology, which is why the six organisations we are backing today are based here at home – from exciting startups to established leaders. They will help to develop world-leading AI that genuinely works in the classroom – and are safe, effective and built around the needs of both pupils and teachers.
“This government will back British innovation and ensure it is UK talent, expertise and businesses shaping the future of education technology.”
Due to be tested in schools during the summer of 2026, the selected providers will be given access to the AI Content Store, the government’s publicly available library of education materials, to guide them through development.
Alongside this project, the government is developing benchmarks for AI tutoring tools to ensure they are safe for students to use, are keeping up with the fast-pace of AI tech and are fit-for-purpose. The hope is for these tools to be available UK-wide in schools from 2027.
