China will integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and applications into teaching, textbooks and school curriculums as part of its efforts to completely transform its education system, according to an official document published on Wednesday, the 16th of April, citing authorities, reports Reuters.
The plan, designed for students and teachers in primary, secondary and higher education, comes at a time when China, the world’s second-largest economy, is seeking to promote innovation and find new ways to grow its economy.
China’s Ministry of Education said that promoting AI in schools will help “develop the basic skills of teachers and students” and build “the competitiveness of innovative talents”.
For students, such basic skills range from independent thinking and problem-solving to communication and cooperation, said a statement published on the ministry’s website.
IT ADDED THAT THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WOULD LEAD TO MORE INNOVATIVE AND CHALLENGING CLASSROOMS.
The moves come after Chinese universities began offering courses in AI and expanded student enrolments after start-up DeepSeek attracted global attention in January by introducing a competitive large-language model that was cheaper than its US counterpart (ChatGPT).
In the same month, China also unveiled its first national plan to become a “strong education nation” by 2035, aiming to use innovation to achieve this goal more effectively.
The education reform comes amid a trade dispute with the US. The US announced on Thursday, the 17th of April, that China now faces tariffs of up to 245% due to its retaliatory measures.
Despite this pressure, China says it will not engage in what it calls a “tariff numbers game” and has appointed a new trade negotiator to potentially resolve the growing conflict.
Washington has said that Trump is ready to strike a trade deal with China, but Beijing should take the first step by insisting that China needs “our money”.