China Expands AI Across Education System Serving 220 Million Students

In China's primary and secondary schools, artificial intelligence is no longer just an add-on to computer science class; it is becoming part of the daily work of teachers and students. The Xinhua news agency reported on July 21, 2026 how an education system covering more than 220 million students is deploying AI tools to analyze learning progress, generate personalized assignments, and grade student work, carrying out an action plan announced by the Ministry of Education in April.

What's Changing in Classrooms

Xinhua describes concrete examples of rollouts at individual schools. At Beijing No. 13 High School, an AI system analyzes students' class participation, homework results, and quiz scores, then generates question sequences and personalized homework assignments tailored to each student's level before class. This marks a departure from the model in which an entire class receives identical material regardless of how quickly individual students absorb the content.

In Wenzhou, in Zhejiang province, students in language and literature classes use generative AI to create digital avatars showcasing the region's local culture. At Beijing No. 35 High School, AI supports programming teachers by automating an initial assessment of student-written code, intended to free up time for individual work with the class.

The 2026-2030 Plan

The rollouts at individual schools fit into a broader national strategy. The 15th Five-Year Plan, covering 2026-2030, calls for using AI to transform teaching models and weave the technology into every stage of education, from primary school through lifelong learning. In April, the Ministry of Education announced the 'AI Plus Education' action plan, intended to accelerate the spread of AI education, encourage interdisciplinary teaching of the subject, and expand AI use in classrooms and extracurricular activities.

The foundation for these changes is infrastructure built up over years; internet access was achieved in all of China's primary and secondary schools back in 2020. That gave a starting point for rolling out further digital tools, and in recent years, AI-based systems as well.

The Ministry's Position

Wang Jiayi, China's Vice Minister of Education, frames these changes as a shift away from a 'one size fits all' model of education toward a personalized approach. She says future education should provide flexible learning paths tailored to each student.

Future education will provide personalized learning paths tailored to each student, with greater flexibility - Wang Jiayi, China's Vice Minister of Education

Limits of the Systems

Xinhua also cites reservations from educators, who stress that current AI systems still have clear shortcomings. These tools can struggle to reliably assess certain types of writing, such as travel essays, and to analyze students' reasoning process when solving math problems. Data interoperability between different school systems and platforms also remains a challenge.

For a Polish reader, the scale of China's rollout is hard to compare to anything in Europe; it is a system covering a student population larger than the entire population of Poland. But it shows the direction other Asian countries are already moving in as well, including South Korea, which recently announced free AI access for all its citizens.

Chinese authorities view AI education as part of a long-term strategy to build the country's competitive edge by training a future pool of specialists ready to work in an AI-driven economy. The goal for 2030 is a comprehensive AI education system spanning every stage of schooling and reaching beyond school walls into society as a whole.