China’s AI talent race is starting younger - with parents seeking headstarts for their children
AI talent is commanding a huge premium in China - and parents are betting that exposing their children to technology early could give them a headstart.
In HANGZHOU, China, a group of young students from Shanghai are devoting part of their summer break to mastering artificial intelligence (AI) through a specialized camp hosted by fintech giant Ant Group. The 13-year-old Yu Chenhao and 12-year-old Li Peiran are among 20 attendees between the ages of 12 and 18 who spend their days working on AI projects at the company's headquarters.
Yu's team developed a smart pillbox to remind seniors to take their medicine correctly, while Li created a game about intangible cultural heritage. The Chinese AI education market is expected to reach 160 billion yuan by 2027 and could reach 180 billion yuan by 2030, according to Changjiang Securities. With a push from Beijing to introduce AI courses in primary and secondary schools, AI-themed camps for children have become increasingly popular, with prices ranging from a few hundred yuan to over 20,000 yuan.
Ant Group's Young Founders AI Camp was free but by invitation only and serves as a test of students' abilities to create viable products using the company's tools. As China competes for AI talent, the gap between technical and non-technical roles appears to be growing.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
