China integrates artificial intelligence into educational programs

By Alimat Aliyeva

Chinese authorities are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) applications into educational activities, textbooks, and school curricula as part of ongoing education reforms, Azernews reports.

This initiative, aimed at students and teachers in primary, secondary, and higher education, comes at a time when China — the world’s second-largest economy — is working to stimulate innovation and explore new sources of economic growth.

The Ministry of Education has emphasized that the development and use of AI will help "enhance the core abilities of both teachers and students" and build the "competitiveness of innovative talent." According to the ministry's statement, these core abilities include essential skills such as independent thinking, problem-solving, and communication and collaboration. The integration of AI is expected to lead to the creation of more dynamic, innovative, and complex educational experiences.

These efforts follow a growing trend where Chinese universities have started offering dedicated AI courses and expanding student enrollment, particularly after the global attention gained by the DeepSeek startup in January. DeepSeek’s large-scale language model, which is cheaper to develop than its American counterparts, has drawn significant interest worldwide.

In the same month, China also introduced its first national action plan to create a “state with strong education” by 2035, leveraging innovation to propel the country’s educational and technological advancement.

China’s push to integrate AI into its educational system is part of a broader strategy to lead the global AI race. As the country seeks to become a technological powerhouse, these reforms aim not just at improving education quality but also at fostering the next generation of AI developers and tech entrepreneurs.