Napster Partners with Gems to Build Classroom AI in UAE, Expanding After $207 Million Pivot
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 18
Napster Partners with Gems to Build Classroom AI in UAE, Expanding After $207 Million Pivot
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Sep 18
Summary
Napster signed a strategic partnership with UAE-based Gems Education to develop AI agents and digital personas for classrooms, with initial projects centered at the Gems School of Research and Innovation in Dubai.
The first phase will test teacher digital twins, gamified learning, AI-assisted content creation and classroom simulations through Napster Learn, aiming to extend teachers’ reach with 24/7 student support rather than replace them.
Napster said student data will stay in-country and not be used to train its models, while local hosting will run through G42 in the UAE and through Lenovo and Detasad in Saudi Arabia.
The education push is part of Napster’s broader Middle East expansion after Infinite Reality bought the company for $207 million in 2025, shut its music-streaming service in January and began building a Dubai hub.
That regional bet aligns with the UAE’s AI drive, including a plan to shift 50% of government services and operations to agentic AI within two years; Napster plans to grow its regional team from about 20 to 500 by 2030.