BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- In the exhibition hall of the education service section at the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services, 11-year-old Li Xiuyuan was engrossed in operating the instrument in front of him, despite the noisy surroundings.
As Li operated the control, a physical programming product, which resembles an astronaut training simulator, made corresponding movements.
"It's fun, and it's not difficult. Do you want to give it a try?" said Li.
Computer science is a familiar subject to the fifth-grade student from Beijing Fuxue Hutong Primary School, who started learning programming in the third grade. "I have assembled a physical programming product in the shape of a car and controlled its movements through programming. It gives me a sense of accomplishment."
Li's school, which has a booth at the exhibition hall, is developing its scientific curriculum covering areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and information programming.
In China, more and more primary and secondary schools, like Beijing Fuxue Hutong Primary School, are introducing programming and other AI-related courses. Many technology companies are also developing related courses and systems to meet the huge demand for AI education.
The system Li operated belongs to YBC, a leading domestic programming education brand. Established on International Programmers' Day in 2017, the company has developed a curriculum for children aged 4 to 16 years old. It not only teaches programming languages but also aims to cultivate computational thinking and innovation skills.
According to Li Chao, director of teaching and research at YBC, the company has served over 5 million students, and its "AI Innovative Education Solution" has been applied in more than 2,500 schools.
Not far away, another education technology platform Feixiang Xingqiu showcases how it has fully integrated its self-developed large-scale models into basic education.
Through 118 real AI interactions, students can learn and experience the core technologies of image processing, speech processing, and natural language processing, getting a glimpse into the cutting-edge applications of AI in education, healthcare and art.
In 2017, China unveiled a plan to develop next-generation AI, calling for efforts to set up AI-related courses in primary and secondary schools. In March of this year, the Ministry of Education launched an online AI education platform, which not only promotes the integration of AI into teaching and learning, but also aims to improve the digital literacy and skills of the entire population.
Efforts will be made to cultivate digitally-literate teachers, further integrate AI technology into the entire process and all aspects of education and teaching management, and enable students to learn more actively and teachers to educate more creatively, education minister Huai Jinpeng said in March.
"Learning AI from childhood and embrace a great future." This is the slogan displayed by Chinese AI giant iFLYTEK at its booth. The company first launched AI education products in 2018, which are now applied in more than 3,600 schools nationwide, serving over 1.6 million teachers and students.
"The new teaching program is complemented by AI-related courses, which is more in line with the requirements of the times and the cultivation of innovative and technological talents," said Xia Linlong, director of innovative education products at iFLYTEK.
Li Yi, a teacher from a middle school in Beijing, consulted the staff at the iFLYTEK booth for a long time. He wanted to customize an AI innovation education laboratory for his school.
"For us, it's never too old to learn AI. For the students, it's never too young to learn AI," Li said. ■