China to rely on artificial intelligence in education reform bid

(Reuters) - China will integrate artificial intelligence (AI) applications into teaching efforts, textbooks and the school curriculum as it moves to overhaul education, authorities said in an official paper released on Wednesday.

The move targeting pupils and educators across primary, secondary and higher levels comes as the world's second-largest economy looks to boost innovation and find new sources of growth.

Promoting artificial intelligence would help "cultivate the basic abilities of teachers and students," and shape the "core competitiveness of innovative talents," the education ministry said.

For students, such basic abilities range from independent thinking and problem-solving to communication and cooperation, it said in a statement on its website.

Use of artificial intelligence would also lead to more innovative and challenging classrooms, it added.

The effort comes after Chinese universities launched AI courses and widened enrolment after the DeepSeek startup drew global attention in January with the launch of a competitive large-language model cheaper to develop than U.S. peers.

That month China also unveiled its first national action plan to attain a "strong-education nation" by 2035, aiming to harness innovation efficiencies in reaching the goal.

(Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)