http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0423/c90000-20305940.html
A teen-focused AI academy was inaugurated in late March in Beijing, as a collaboration between Zhongguancun Academy — a higher education research institution dedicated to innovation in AI and interdisciplinary fields — and local education authorities. Designed to create a comprehensive AI talent development pipeline that integrates basic education, higher education, and industry practice, the Beijing Teen AI Academy (Haidian) plans to tap into faculty resources from 31 top universities across China.
As part of its programming, the new academy will guide secondary school students to participate directly in national-level research projects. It also leverages the innovation ecosystem of Zhongguancun — often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley — to offer students opportunities to incubate entrepreneurial ventures.
The academy’s launch follows the announcement of a similar initiative in Shanghai in August 2024. In Shanghai, a teen AI academy will be established under a partnership between the School of Artificial Intelligence at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the China Welfare Institute Children’s Palace. According to SJTU, full-scale programs of the academy are set to begin in the second half of 2025, with a focus on building foundational AI skills in young learners while piloting a new, continuous model for nurturing exceptional talent.
Beijing and Shanghai — known for their deep pool of AI talent and top-tier universities — are at the forefront of developing new education systems tailored to the intelligent era. Their endeavors come as China navigates a growing gap between the rapid advancement of AI technologies and the limited supply of qualified talent needed to keep pace.
The foundation for this push was laid as early as July 2017, when the State Council released a development plan for next-generation AI. The document called for offering AI-related courses in primary and secondary schools. In late 2024, the Ministry of Education issued a directive setting clear benchmarks for AI instruction at each educational stage: lower primary grades will focus on hands-on exposure to AI technologies; upper primary and junior high students will deepen their understanding and practical skills; while senior high school students will engage in project-based learning and explore advanced applications of AI.
To support the national agenda, local governments in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have introduced their own tailored plans, accelerating the rollout of AI education across regions.
