Starring Google, Stanford, Twinkl and more: ETIH rolls out the biggest education technology news stories of the week
Accenture boosts cloud, wireless and 5G training with new Award Solutions acquisition
Accenture has announced the acquisition of Award Solutions, a Texas-based provider of training and consulting services in advanced wireless and network technologies, including 5G, IoT, and cloud solutions.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Founded in 1997, Award Solutions delivers specialized training programs in formats ranging from in-person to virtual and self-paced. The company supports global telecom and technology providers by equipping them with skills in 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning, network virtualization, and data visualization.
MedAssist GPT introduced to advance AI-powered medical education in the UK
Trustwise, Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (Health Innovation KSS), Hitachi Digital Services, and Further have launched MedAssist GPT, a generative AI application for medical education in the UK.
The tool is designed to provide UK medical students with real-time, evidence-based clinical guidance aligned with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and NHS formulary data.
MedAssist GPT integrates over 700 NICE guidelines and covers more than 30,000 medicines. It enables students to engage in clinical scenario simulations, practice safe prescribing, and receive immediate feedback.
Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI ranks top AI countries with new Global AI Vibrancy Tool
The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) has released the Global AI Vibrancy Tool, a resource for assessing and comparing the AI development of 36 countries.
The tool ranks countries based on 42 publicly available indicators across eight key pillars, providing policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and the public with actionable data on national AI ecosystems.
Nestor Maslej, Project Manager of the AI Index, commented:
“There’s limited data providing a clear, quantitative view of where countries actually stand in AI. At the Index, we wanted to address this gap with a rigorous tool that could help policymakers, business leaders, and the public ground these geopolitical AI narratives in fact.”
Google teams with Digital Promise to develop research-backed AI tools for education
Google has announced a partnership with Digital Promise, a global nonprofit, to co-design and establish frameworks for evaluating AI-powered learning tools.
The collaboration, unveiled during Google’s Learning in the AI Era event, aims to address key challenges in education by creating trusted, research-backed technologies that meet the needs of educators and students.
Pati Ruiz, Senior Director of EdTech and Emerging Technologies at Digital Promise, shared in a LinkedIn post:
“Big News: We’re Partnering with Google! The EdTech team is excited to share that Digital Promise is teaming up with Google to tackle one of the most important challenges in education today: creating meaningful, transformative, and more trusted AI-enabled learning technologies.”
Twinkl acquires Natterhub to strengthen online safety and digital citizenship tools for schools and parents
Twinkl, a global provider of educational resources and tools for schools, educators, and parents, has announced its acquisition of Natterhub, a platform designed to teach children aged 5-11 how to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.
Caroline Allams, co-founder and Product Director of Natterhub, commented:
“With reports showing children are spending more time online than ever before, there is added pressure to equip them with the knowledge to explore the digital world safely.
“Meanwhile, new technologies such as AI are increasingly influencing how children develop social and emotional skills. Joining the Twinkl ecosystem will allow us to help schools better address these challenges and prepare the next generation.”
KinderCare reports 7.5% revenue growth in first post-IPO earnings amid declining net income
KinderCare Learning Companies, the largest private provider of early childhood education in the U.S., reported financial results for its third quarter of 2024, its first earnings release following its initial public offering (IPO) in October.
The company highlighted revenue growth but faced declines in net income and income from operations.
Revenue for the quarter totaled $671.5 million, a 7.5% increase from $624.5 million in the third quarter of 2023. The growth was driven by higher tuition rates, which contributed approximately 6%, and increased enrollment, which accounted for about 1%.
