What We Learned at BETT 2026: The AI Conversation Has Shifted

29th Jan, 2026

Our team spent three days at BETT UK in London last week. The conversations at the Compro stand and throughout the conference floor revealed a clear shift in how publishers and institutions are thinking about educational technology, especially AI.

AI Has Moved from Novelty to Assumption

The AI gold rush phase appears to be behind us. AI is no longer being presented as a separate theme or a novelty feature. Instead, it has become an assumed component of most products. Almost every conversation, whether about content, assessment, or classroom tools, assumed AI capabilities were built in as a given rather than a differentiator.

What stood out was the focus on narrow, specialized solutions. Although nearly every product incorporated AI, companies were not attempting to be all-in-one platforms. Instead, AI was being applied to solve very specific problems: collaboration tools for teachers and students, math learning, content creation, assignment grading, feedback generation, and analytics. The technology was not being sold as magic, but rather as a deliberate tool for addressing defined challenges. This approach aligns with how Compro has been viewing AI as well. (Download our recent technical white paper entitled, “Modernizing Digital Content for Mobile, Accessibility, and AI Readiness” to learn more)

Publishers Are Focused on Practical Implementation

The conversations at our stand centered on specific problems and real implementation challenges. Some publishers expressed interest in exploring AI capabilities, but always with appropriate guardrails in place. Just as notable was the strong interest in a wide range of fundamental issues that receive less attention than AI but remain critical to daily operations.

The needs we heard ranged from fixing basic integration issues to building fit-for-purpose question banks and eBook readers to full-scale LMS customizations. AI would come up in these discussions, but then the conversation would shift back to core platform requirements. Platform stability, ease of use, and the challenge of integrating new AI-driven tools with legacy software systems were consistent themes throughout our conversations.

Differentiation Has Shifted Beyond Features

The discussions at BETT pointed to a fundamental change in what matters for educational technology platforms. The real differentiation is no longer about which vendor has the most sophisticated AI copilot. Instead, it centers on the ability to close the loop between learning activity, trustworthy assessment signals, and the outcomes that institutional leaders actually use to make decisions. This requires auditable, curriculum-aligned content with clear provenance and human oversight.

BETT UK demonstrated that the current market opportunity is not in offering generic AI features. It lies in identifying specific, high-impact problems and solving them responsibly within the ecosystems publishers already use and depend on.

What This Means

The exploratory phase of AI is over for publishers. The questions now are about practical application: how AI capabilities integrate with existing systems, how they solve specific workflow problems, and how they work within established educational frameworks.

The event provided valuable opportunities to reconnect with existing relationships, develop new leads, and reinforce Compro's position as a trusted partner for institutions and publishers seeking to modernize their digital learning offerings. It also provided opportunities to highlight how Compro is harnessing the power of AI to address specific publisher concerns like the ones listed above. The industry's focus has clearly shifted from technology for its own sake to solving problems within the systems publishers already use.

If you were at BETT and we didn't connect, or if these challenges align with what you're working on, we’d love to hear from you.