More and more Chinese school students are using AI in class.
Millions of primary and middle school students are returning to school for the autumn semester across China, where they find themselves increasingly learning from, using, and studying AI.
On the first day of the new semester on September 2nd, primary students in a northeastern Chinese school got a fun new job: feeding information into an interactive robot to quickly qualify it as a school guidance counselor.
Students enthusiastically performed the mission in groups. They collected information and then input it using a software program on a tablet to complete the human-machine dialogue, helping the robot learn. The robot is called Xiaofei, and was provided by the Chinese information technology company iFlytek.
“The school has vigorously promoted the building of a digital campus,” said Li Na, deputy principal of the school. In addition to introducing a smart education system to support teaching and personalized learning, the schools AI lab also gets students engaged in computer programming knowledge and robotics applications.
The school’s use of AI ranges from classes as different as PE to Chinese calligraphy.
They are not the only school experimenting with AI. Several schools across China have started integrating AI teaching into their classes.
English classes in Beijing 101 Middle School have incorporated an AI-based listening and speaking system. While the Beijing No. 18 Middle School has installed intelligent blackboards in the classrooms. On Sep. 2, students conducted a simulated chemistry experiment of ‘reaction between methane and chlorine’ on the blackboard’s touch screen.
In February this year, China’s Ministry of Education announced 184 AI education pilot bases in primary and secondary schools. They will aim to further explore new concepts, new models, and new schemes of AI education.
The Ministry of Education stated their goal was “better promoting the development of AI education”.
The hope is that the use of AI can improve education in China’s schools, while also preparing students for the future. At public schools, it is common to have large class sizes. One teacher can face dozens of students.
This announcement is just the latest in the Chinese government’s push on AI. As early as 2017, the State Council issued the ‘New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Technology Development Plan’. The plan proposed to widely carry out AI science popularization activities, implement national intelligent education projects, set up AI-related courses in primary and secondary schools, and gradually promote programming education.
The following year, the Ministry of Education placed artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data processing as mandatory subjects within Information and Technology classes at Chinese high schools.
Young people in China have broadly embraced AI. In a survey by Just So Soul — which is run by Soul, the Chinese social app with over 40 million monthly users — of nearly 3,500 young Chinese 90% said they use AI. Over 60% of the young Chinese surveyed said they either “like” or “love” it. The situation in similar for Chinese university students. A survey of 7,055 students nationwide by China Youth Daily found that 85% reported using AI tools. In total 77% believe AI tools help enhance their work and learning efficiency.
However, despite this widespread use there are still reservations. Around 60% of students worry about the risks associated with AI.
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Written by Gu Yetao, additional reporting by Xinhua and China Daily.
