Pearson boss Omar Abbosh has reassuring words for the hundreds of thousands of teachers around the world who rely on the company’s text books, exams and qualifications: AI will not take your jobs.

Abbosh is clear that the technology will become more prevalent in education, but the self-described “techno-optimist” is confident it will enhance how people learn – whether in the classroom, home schooling or workplace training – and help rather than replace human teachers.

Enthusiasm for technological transformation is hardly surprising. When Abbosh took the helm at Pearson at the beginning of 2024, it was at the crest of a transformation that zeroed in on technology in education. In a three-year tenure, his predecessor Andy Bird helped turn a struggling conglomerate, plagued by profit warnings and a loss-making textbook business, into one of the FTSE’s best performers.

Abbosh is now tasked with sustaining that momentum, as AI advances and online courses and virtual lessons are upending expectations of what, and how, people learn. A rebrand doubled down on Pearson’s identity as a “lifelong learning company” and last year adjusted operating profit rose 10 per cent.

Its share price continued a five-year upward trend, though after a dip this year, it is now roughly the same as 15 years ago, and a few pounds less than a decade b