Beijing rolls out AI education across all primary, secondary schools

Beijing has rolled out artificial intelligence (AI) education across all primary and secondary schools this semester, marking a major step in China's national push to embed AI into every stage of learning.

The move follows China's State Council guideline advancing the AI Plus Initiative, which accelerates AI integration across diverse industries, with a strong emphasis on education.

Many schools in Beijing had already begun piloting AI-focused programs.

In addition to offering specialized class instruction, all primary and secondary schools in Beijing will offer at least eight class hours of AI instruction per academic year. These courses can either be delivered independently or integrated with other subjects, such as information technology, according to a work plan of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.

"Under the guidance of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, we have collaborated with the digital education center to develop 80 lessons, which are now available on the smart education platform for primary and secondary schools in Beijing," said Lu Xin, head of AI course products of an educational technology company.

"About 150,000 students from over 1,000 schools across 25 provinces and cities nationwide are currently using them," Lu said.