Pearson Hires New Head of Artificial Intelligence
London: Pearson, the digital education company, today announced the appointment of Milena Marinova to lead artificial intelligence (AI) and personalized learning for the company. Milena joins Pearson in July as senior vice president, AI products and solutions from Intel Corporation, where she was Senior Director of AI Solutions.
Milena will be focused on exploring and applying existing and new technologies in artificial intelligence, machine learning, including deep and reinforcement learning, as well as data analytics and personalized learning into current and future products and services.
“We have the opportunity to use technology to help shape the future of education in new ways for the next generation of learners, helping more students foster the knowledge and skills they need to succeed both in school and their careers,” said Tim Bozik, global head of product at Pearson. “Milena is an extraordinary talent and brings vast experience to our team. She will play an important role in this work and in continuing the digital and AI transformation of Pearson.”
Pearson has already integrated some machine learning capabilities and has an existing pipeline of innovative products which use the latest technology and data science to improve learning outcomes at scale. Examples include:
● Authentic assessment – developing feedback capabilities for marking complex mathematical activities
● Automated essay scoring – improving and accelerating essay grading and student feedback in US higher education
● Adaptive learning – catering to each student’s individual level of ability in Math and the Sciences
● Natural language processing and intelligent tutoring – working with partners to integrate AI capabilities into English language learning in China and incorporate a virtual tutor into products in the US
”Unlike other sectors, education is yet to fully realize the benefits of digital and advanced AI techniques, and there are great opportunities to improve learning outcomes and to enable better teaching,” said Milena Marinova. “Pearson is committed to transforming the learning experience and becoming the digital winner in education. As a strong believer in lifelong learning, I want to contribute and be a key part in that journey.”
Milena is a technology executive with over 15 years in business and product development, strategy, marketing and venture capital, and has extensive knowledge of machine learning, neural networks, computer vision and the commercialization of new technologies.
At Intel, she led the development for commercial applications of AI across various industries, including Internet of Things, robotics and AR/VR, and advised Intel Capital on investments in these areas. She also previously held executive roles at Idealab, a prominent startup incubator and Hyundai Capital America.
Milena has an MBA from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and B.Sc. with Honors in Computer Science from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, USA, and prior to Caltech won the national award for Top Young Mathematician in Bulgaria. She is also currently an advisor to several AI startups and investors in the California Bay Area.