Robin. How far has AI education developed in China?. 2026-09-21.
As of September 2026, AI education in China has formed a continuous chain spanning national action, local curricula, school-based professional learning, and product coordination. Gansu released a 2026–2030 action plan, a Baoji primary school connected AI to planning, teaching, and assessment, and a Zhuji speaking-and-listening program reached 16 schools and more than 4,000 students. Delivered hours, sustained use, regional differences, and independent learning outcomes still need verification. Dongguan's education plan and Songjiang's school-based professional-learning target add local policy and teacher-capacity evidence; actual course delivery and classroom output still need verification.
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READ THIS FIRST
Three judgments to remember
01
The national action plan requires local authorities to establish AI curriculum systems while advancing teacher development, platforms, and safety governance.
02
Beijing is moving forward with no fewer than 8 class hours per school year, Shanghai provides no fewer than 30 class hours in key grades, and Guangzhou covers Grades 1 through 8.
03
School counts, registrations, and training attendances show the scale of implementation; curriculum quality and learning outcomes still require separate verification.
CURRENT ANSWER
How we answer today
Each judgment links to the relevant news and original sources. New evidence enters the corresponding dimension.
01
National requirements now cover curricula, resources, and boundaries of use
The five-agency action plan makes AI education a local curriculum responsibility, while the national government has also released general-education resources for four stages of schooling. Guidelines for primary and secondary students and teachers further establish age-based boundaries for assignments, exams, assessment, and sensitive data. Together, these three layers determine how local authorities schedule courses, how teachers use tools, and how products enter schools.
Local authorities are beginning to publish class hours, school coverage, and platform scale
Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have published different measures of curriculum intensity and coverage, while Zhejiang has disclosed the scale of platform services, teacher training, and pilots. Fujian, Chongqing, Liaoning, and Gansu include AI in new education plans. Gansu additionally targets an all-stage general curriculum, more than 45 base schools, and more than 1,000 application cases by 2028. Baoji and Zhuji add examples of school-based professional learning and routine regional use. Local reporting measures still differ. This week adds Beijing agent coverage, Guangxi policy follow-through, the Jinshan primary course launch, and teacher training across 27 Zhushan schools. These extend the delivery chain, while sustained hours and learning outcomes still need common verification. Dongguan's education plan and Songjiang's school-based professional-learning target add local policy and teacher-capacity evidence; actual course delivery and classroom output still need verification.
The next stage must turn coverage figures into verifiable classroom evidence
Current public materials can answer whether policies have been released, schools have offered courses, and platforms have been built. Evidence about completed class hours, unique teacher counts, student work, independent assessment, and urban–rural differences remains fragmented. Suzhou limits applications to scenarios that are already in use and have produced results, showing that local review is beginning to require more specific implementation evidence.
Current signals, evidence strength, and the next data needed are presented in one scorecard.
01
National policy
CURRENT SIGNAL
The five-agency action plan, general-education resources for different stages of schooling, and guidelines for using generative AI now form a connected national framework, with public texts supporting policy goals, curriculum resources, and boundaries of use.
Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have published eligible grades, class hours, or school coverage, confirming that some areas have moved from planning into routine curricula, although timetabling and reporting standards remain inconsistent across locations.
Common disclosure is needed for class hours actually completed, curriculum outlines, sources of teaching staff, and student work.
03
Adoption at scale
CURRENT SIGNAL
The number of people served by Zhejiang's platform, schools connected in Guangzhou, and school coverage in Beijing provide signals of scale, while current figures still mix distinct states such as registration, connection, training, and sustained use.
Monthly active use, unique teacher counts, numbers of schools sustaining courses, and urban–rural differences in coverage are needed.
04
Learning outcomes
CURRENT SIGNAL
Public materials mainly demonstrate policy releases, curriculum launches, and platform coverage; independent assessments, delayed tests, and cross-regional comparisons that could show changes in student capability remain rare.
Wait for verifiable student baselines, independent task performance, long-term retention, and equity outcomes.
EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
Limits to keep in mind
These limits determine how strong a conclusion the page can support.
01
Public reporting standards differ across localities; school coverage, platform registrations, and actual active use cannot be treated as interchangeable.
02
Available materials focus mainly on policy and implementation reports; evidence on long-term learning outcomes and independent evaluation remains limited.
RELATED QUESTIONS
What else do readers ask?
Each adjacent search question receives a concise answer linked to its supporting evidence.
01
What stage has AI education in China reached?
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The confirmed stage is that a national framework has been established, several leading regions have specified class hours or the scope of coverage, and public curriculum resources and usage guidelines are beginning to work together. Actual course intensity, teacher supply, and student learning outcomes still vary greatly across the country, so this is best described as a transition from the early stage of implementation at scale toward routine provision.
How do primary and secondary AI curricula differ in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou?
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Beijing's published standard emphasizes no fewer than 8 class hours per school year across the city's primary and secondary schools. Shanghai provides no fewer than 30 class hours of foundational AI courses in Grades 4 and 7. Guangzhou covers Grades 1 through 8 and sets frequency by grade. The three locations reflect different ways of organizing curricula, and a single class-hour figure cannot directly determine relative quality.
Can current public information prove that AI education in China is effective?
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Current evidence can show that policies, curriculum resources, school access, and teacher training are expanding, and that some regions are publishing implementation figures. It is not yet enough to prove that students have developed transferable AI literacy or long-term learning gains. Common measurement, independent evaluation, and comparable results across regions are still needed.
On September 10, Dongguan held a citywide basic education work conference and issued the Dongguan Education Development 15th Five-Year Plan and the Dongguan Basic Education Key Task List. The plan sets a goal of basically completing a high-quality education system by 2030 and lays out 30 key tasks, including implementing an AI education pilot program and advancing AI education across all grade levels. The task list sets six sections and 32 tasks for the period from the fourth quarter of 2026 to 2027, including building new advantages in "AI plus education."
The Songjiang District Education Bureau in Shanghai issued the district's 15th Five-Year Education Development Plan on September 15, 2026, aiming to build a high-quality education system aligned with the modern Songjiang of science, culture and ecology by 2030. The plan sets digital education targets including 100% coverage of smart teaching environments, digital teaching resources, qualified teacher digital teaching ability, and AI-enabled school-based teacher training. It also calls for advancing STEM education and gradually ensuring every primary school has at least one science teacher with a master's degree in a science or engineering field.
The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services education exhibition was held at Shougang Park under the theme "Education Power, Smart Innovation for the Future," with two zones for international cooperation and smart education. The second batch of the "Jingwa" education agent matrix was unveiled, covering classroom assistance, personalized learning, campus governance and public education services. A Beijing Municipal Education Commission official said AI adoption among Beijing primary and secondary school students has reached 91%, and the city has been approved to build a national AI (education) application pilot base.
Beijing Municipal Government PortalEducators / Schools
On September 9, 2026, the Guangxi regional CPPCC held a consultation meeting on key proposal handling, chaired by Vice Chairman Ou Yujun. Earlier this year, a proposal by the Guangxi Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party on breaking the "structural shortage" of AI talent was listed as a key supervised proposal, and three other proposals on AI-enabled vocational education, full coverage of AI literacy education in primary and secondary schools, and AI education were listed as related proposals. The regional education, science and technology, human resources and social security, and data departments reported progress and next steps.
On the afternoon of September 8, 2026, Jinshan Primary School in Ganyu District, Lianyungang, held a launch ceremony and first teaching research activity for its AI literacy course, attended by Vice Principal Mu Haidong, academic affairs staff, teaching group leaders, and information technology and related subject teachers. The school issued an appointment letter to teaching group leader Xu Hengsheng, formally establishing an AI literacy teaching research group, and specified at least 8 class hours per school year. The school will also begin exploring student AI literacy assessment across knowledge, skills, thinking, and values.
The Education Department of Gansu Province and four other departments recently issued the 'AI Plus Education Action Plan (2026-2030)', proposing five major tasks. The plan sets goals to build a full-chain AI general education curriculum by 2028, create over 45 national and provincial AI education base schools, and develop over 1,000 typical application scenarios. By 2030, the provincial education network bandwidth will reach 40G and computing resources will be no less than 100P.
In summer 2026, Wolongsi Primary School in Jintai District, Baoji, organized teachers to participate in the National Smart Education Platform training, learning AI application cases. After the new semester began, teaching groups demonstrated AI-integrated micro-videos, with teachers from Chinese, math, and comprehensive subjects using AI tools for lesson preparation, teaching, and assessment, developing a resource library of quality micro-videos.
Recently, the practice of AI-empowered English listening and speaking teaching in Zhuji, submitted by the Zhuji Education Research Center, was selected for the public list of '2026 Smart Education Excellent Cases'. The case uses AI listening and speaking classrooms, now in regular use in 16 schools, covering 92 classes, 58 English teachers, and over 4,000 students. The project adopts a mechanism of pilot verification, scale-up, and dynamic optimization, and has established a tiered training system.
In the summer of 2026, the teaching research office of the Zhushan District Education and Sports Bureau in Jingdezhen organized AI literacy education training across all 27 schools in the district, with all teachers participating. The training followed the paths of policy study, tool practice and summary improvement, under a three-tier mechanism of district coordination, school implementation and full participation. At No. 7 Primary School, 86 participating teachers mastered more than two AI teaching tools; No. 12 Primary School achieved a 100% participation rate through online study on the national smart education platform.
The Fujian Provincial Government issued the '15th Five-Year Education Development Plan' on August 24, 2026, aiming to basically build a high-quality education system by 2030. The plan explicitly calls for extraordinary layout of emerging interdisciplinary disciplines such as artificial intelligence, promotes the establishment of 4-6 vocational undergraduate colleges, and implements a spring and autumn break system for primary and secondary schools. The plan covers higher education, vocational education, basic education, and teacher development.
Fujian Provincial Department of EducationSchools / Educators
Jingjiang City systematically implemented the AI+Education special action, completed the 10-gigabit upgrade of the education metropolitan area network, built 6 AI classrooms and 18 AI laboratories, and deployed learning data collection terminals. Three large schools in the urban area piloted AI teaching assistants, with 30 application scenarios across six dimensions. Implemented the 'Thousand-Hundred-Ten' teacher AI literacy training plan, offered AI general courses in primary and secondary schools, with over 5,000 student participants in competitions. Vocational colleges added AI-related majors, cultivating more than 800 AI skilled talents annually.
Taizhou Administration for Market RegulationEducators / Schools
On August 28, 2026, Yongzhou Data Bureau issued a notice to publicly select the implementer for the 'AI + Education' scenario construction project, with a construction and operation period of 5 years. Applicants must have paid-in registered capital of no less than 5 million yuan, annual revenue of no less than 10 million yuan in the previous year, and a technical team of at least 5 people. Application materials must be submitted before 17:00 on September 7, 2026, and consortiums with no more than 3 members are accepted. The project covers teaching, research, management, evaluation, and service, and involves education data governance and product development.
Yongzhou Government WebsiteProduct Teams / Schools
On July 2, 2026, the Leading Group of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee on Education issued the Action Plan for High-Quality Development of AI Plus Education, proposing that by 2027, AI general courses in primary and secondary schools will be basically universal, teacher training will be fully covered, and more than 30 provincial AI education bases will be built. The plan also aims to add more than 5 master's and doctoral degree programs and more than 10 undergraduate programs, and complete digital training for 3,000 teachers. By 2030, AI education will achieve full coverage in primary and secondary schools, forming a cross-disciplinary and industry-education integrated training system.
Liaoning Provincial Department of EducationSchools / Educators
The Chongqing Municipal People's Government issued the '15th Five-Year Plan for Integrated Education, Science, Technology, and Talent Development (2026-2030)' on August 3, 2026, and published it on August 27. The plan aims to basically build an innovative strong city by 2030, with R&D intensity reaching 3.25% and STEM graduates accounting for 60% of bachelor's degrees. It explicitly creates application scenarios for 'AI + education' and builds a national AI application pilot base for human resources.
On August 21, People's Education Audio-Visual Digital Press and Xiaoyuan signed a cooperation agreement, announcing the official launch of the 'Primary and Secondary School Textbook Learning Agent' on the Xiaoyuan AI Learning Device. The agent, developed by the press, combines textbook content with Xiaoyuan's Yuanli large model, featuring dual modes of 'AI companion' and 'AI guidance'. Since a pilot in March 2026, over 100,000 students have used it, with pilot data showing a 33.6% increase in Chinese knowledge mastery and 24% in English.
In the summer of 2026, Shanghai University of Engineering Science and Songjiang No.2 High School signed a three-year cooperation agreement, launching two summer science practice courses on 'green low-carbon' and 'artificial intelligence'. More than 50 incoming high school students attended a two-day course, learning carbon footprint accounting and building a campus AI assistant. The course used the internal testing platform 'Xingyun LCA' to help students understand the underlying logic of AI. Over the next three years, the two parties will continue to co-develop courses in fields such as artificial intelligence and urban transportation.
On August 12, the Suzhou Education Bureau published a notice launching a call and showcase for 'AI + Education' application scenarios and a citywide program to train AI education lead teachers in primary and secondary schools.
At the basic-education parallel session of the 2026 World Digital Education Conference on May 12, China released General Artificial Intelligence Education Textbooks and the 'Ten Lectures and One Hundred Questions on General Artificial Intelligence Education' course series. The textbooks comprise four volumes for lower primary, upper primary, middle school, and high school.
On May 12, the World Digital Education Alliance released two AI education standards, respectively specifying full-life-cycle requirements for AI application systems in education and infrastructure for AI-enabled smart campuses.
Ministry of Education conference outcomesSchools / Product Teams
At a May 7 press conference, China's Ministry of Education reported that Zhejiang had established a general AI education system spanning primary, secondary, and higher education. Its information-technology and AI learning platform for primary and secondary education serves 520,000 students and teachers, while cumulative teacher AI training exceeds 800,000 attendances.
On April 21, the Guangzhou Municipal Education Bureau reported full coverage of general AI courses in grades 1–8, upgraded from clubs and school-based courses into required content in regular teaching plans. Grades 1–2 receive at least three class periods per semester, while grades 3–8 receive at least one class period every two weeks.
Guangzhou Municipal Education BureauSchools / Educators
Implementation information published by the Beijing municipal government on April 10 confirms that more than 1,400 primary and secondary schools across the city continue to provide general AI education for at least eight hours per academic year, supported by a lecturer team, course resources, and experts.
In April, China's Ministry of Education, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, and National Data Administration issued the 'AI + Education' Action Plan. The document proposes building a general AI education system covering all stages of education and society by 2030.
Materials on Shanghai's experience released by China's Ministry of Education on March 13 confirm that all grade 4 and grade 7 students in Shanghai now take AI Foundations for one class period per week and at least 30 class periods in total per grade.
In December 2025, the Expert Steering Committee for Teacher Workforce Development under China's Ministry of Education released the Guidelines for Teachers' Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Version 1), covering learning, teaching, student development, evaluation, administration, and research.
Guidelines for Teachers' Use of Generative Artificial IntelligenceSchools / Educators
In May 2025, the Basic Education Teaching Steering Committee under China's Ministry of Education released the Guidelines for General Artificial Intelligence Education in Primary and Secondary Schools (2025 Edition) and the Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence by Primary and Secondary School Students (2025 Edition). The former defines curriculum progression, while the latter governs generative AI use by students, teachers, schools, and education authorities.
Guidelines for General AI Education and Generative AI Use in Primary and Secondary SchoolsSchools / Educators
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