The pandemic accelerated the use of AI-powered technologies and may have hastened the arrival of Industry 5.0, which places a strong emphasis on personalization. Big data and AI has the potential to transform education and are referred to as Education 4.0 AI, along with big data, blockchain, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT), has been credited with ushering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0. The pandemic accelerated the use of AI-powered technologies and may have hastened the arrival of Industry 5.0, which places a strong emphasis on personalization. Big data and AI has the potential to transform education and are referred to as Education 4.0. The Indian EdTech market has expanded significantly and is expected to reach $10.4 billion by 2025.

The Indian edtech giant Byju's keeps getting bigger, having raised more than $4.5 billion since it was founded 10 years ago. This month the company made clear its ambitious research agenda: to achieve the science-fiction dream of building next-generation teaching aids with artificial intelligence. Specifically, the company announced a new research-and-development hub, with offices in Silicon Valley, London and Bangalore, that will work on applying the latest findings from artificial intelligence and machine learning to new edtech products. The new hub, called Byju's Lab, will also work on "moonshots" of developing new forms of digital tutoring technology, said Dev Roy, chief innovation and learning officer for BYJU's, in a recent interview with EdSurge. "Edtech is one of the slowest adopters of AI so far, compared to some of the other industries out there," Roy said.

Ahead of the event in May, we are taking a look at some the companies and people who are taking part in the massive unconference–an open space event with organization powered by participants. TechNode is organizing the Explore Expo, an exhibition area for young tech startups looking for exposure. The education industry is generally viewed as traditional, dogmatic, and oppressive in many Asian countries, especially in China. As China's edtech sector takes off and begins to attract a deluge of investment, tech companies are exploring more ways to spice up the learning experience. "The compulsory education system is rigid," Chu Liang, CTO of Ellabook, told TechNode, "but over the past decade, technology has been transforming many industries and sectors. Ellabook (咿啦看书) is an ebook reading platform, like Kindle, but for kids from 3 to 12 years-old. The app is animated and interactive, which encompasses a wide range of learning categories like reading skills, English, mathematics, and art.