From summer camps to big salaries: China’s AI talent race is starting young and going big
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, a city in China, young children are attending AI technology camps during their summer break. At Ant Group, a fintech giant, 13-year-old Yu Chenhao is among the 20 students learning about AI for five days. The young learners, aged between 12 and 18, spend hours on their laptops, working on AI prompts and codes. Yu's project is a smart pillbox that reminds seniors to take their medicine properly.
Other students, like Li Peiran, built a game about intangible cultural heritage. The AI education market in China is projected to reach 160 billion yuan (US$22 billion) by 2027 and could exceed 180 billion yuan by 2030. AI-themed camps for youths are growing faster than traditional categories, with prices ranging from a few hundred yuan to over 20,000 yuan.
The rise of these camps coincides with Beijing's push to introduce AI courses in primary and secondary school curriculums. Ant Group's AI summer camp in Hangzhou was free but by invitation only. The company's tech arm, Ant Digital Technologies, organized the camp to test the abilities of young attendees and help them turn their ideas into viable products.
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.
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