On April 10, 2026, China's Ministry of Education (MOE) held a high-profile press conference to unveil the groundbreaking "AI + Education" Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy designed to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) deeply into the nation's education system. This initiative, jointly issued by the MOE, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and National Data Administration, marks a pivotal moment for higher education in China. Attended by key figures including Tsinghua University President Li Luming, the event highlighted the formation and expansion of the AI Open Alliance, positioning Chinese universities at the forefront of global AI-driven educational transformation.
The plan responds to the rapid evolution of AI technologies and their potential to reshape learning, teaching, and research. With China boasting over 600,000 undergraduate students in AI-related disciplines and nearly 100,000 annual graduates, the country leads globally in AI talent density. Yet, the action plan goes beyond numbers, aiming to ensure every university student gains AI literacy while fostering ethical, innovative applications tailored to higher education needs.
Overview of the "AI + Education" Action Plan
The action plan outlines a visionary roadmap for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period (2026-2030), emphasizing four core principles: people-centered development, literacy-first approach, application-oriented integration, and intelligent benevolence. By 2030, it seeks to establish a fully integrated AI-education ecosystem, where AI enhances teaching modes, research paradigms, and governance structures across universities.
Central to the plan is the push for AI as a public foundation course in all higher education institutions. This means every undergraduate will master core AI knowledge, with interdisciplinary courses blending AI into traditional majors like engineering, medicine, and humanities. Universities are encouraged to launch "X + AI" double-degree programs, already piloted at institutions like Tsinghua with over 41 such initiatives serving 13,000 students.
Infrastructure development is another pillar, including the National Education Intelligent Computing Platform to pool computing power, data, and models from universities and enterprises. This addresses the computing resource gap, enabling AI research and personalized learning at scale.
Tsinghua's Pivotal Role and the AI Open Alliance
Tsinghua University, as the council chair of the AI Open Alliance, emerged as a cornerstone of the plan. President Li Luming, speaking at the conference, underscored the alliance's mission as the "national team" for AI + Education. Formed on December 16, 2025, during the Guangzhou Higher Education Technology Achievements Fair, the alliance unites 17 top research universities—including Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications—with 8 leading tech firms and research institutes.
The alliance operates through five specialized committees:
- Tsinghua leads empowering education.
- Peking University focuses on empowering research.
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University handles basic engineering.
- Hong Kong Chinese University oversees ethics and governance.
- Other committees cover key areas like infrastructure.
Li Luming outlined four priorities: optimizing the alliance structure to expand partnerships, advancing technological breakthroughs for national needs, fostering academic exchange via forums like AI for Science at the World Digital Education Conference, and deepening international collaboration through youth summits and open-source events. Notably, the alliance is drafting the "AI Education Ethics Guidelines" to promote Chinese standards globally.
Current Landscape of AI in Chinese Higher Education
China's higher education sector has rapidly scaled AI capabilities. There are nearly 2,000 undergraduate programs in intelligent science and technology, with student enrollment exceeding 600,000. Annual graduates approach 100,000, fueling industries from tech to manufacturing. Beijing alone hosts 11 AI first-level disciplines and 36 AI majors across 48 universities, many with dedicated AI colleges or institutes.
Pilot projects abound: MOE's AI large model demonstration selected 23 education models and 14 vertical applications. Tsinghua's "Qing Xiaotuo" (Tsinghua Little Assistant) ecosystem AI-empowers 440 courses, while interdisciplinary efforts like Shanghai's Chuangzhi College integrate research and entrepreneurship, spawning 21 startups.
Vocational universities like Jinhua Polytechnic are upgrading AI skills training, aligning with industry demands for high-caliber technicians.
Talent Cultivation and Interdisciplinary Reforms
The plan mandates AI literacy for all university students via public courses and micro-credentials. Universities must revise curricula for "short, practical, new" AI modules, fostering compound talents through "discipline PhD + AI Master's" dual degrees and integrated undergrad-graduate tracks.
Reforms target emerging fields: new majors for AI-driven industries, cross-disciplinary platforms linking AI with medicine, law, and arts. For instance, Tsinghua offers over 100 AI-infused courses to 13,000+ students. The plan also integrates AI into the national "Double Thousand" plan for graduate employability, with smart job-matching systems.
Vocational HE emphasizes practical skills, with alliances between unis and enterprises building labs and apprenticeships. The full plan details these reforms, urging 100% coverage by 2030.
Infrastructure and Computing Revolution
A major bottleneck in AI education is computing access. Tsinghua addresses this by allocating dedicated computing resources to every student, enabling hands-on experimentation. Nationally, the plan launches the Education Intelligent Computing Platform, linking university clusters to national hubs.
Key builds include:
- Scientific Intelligent Corpus Library (Peking U lead).
- Higher Ed Corpus Library.
- Enlightenment Learning Community for open courses.
- Mid-trial bases for AI apps.
These resources support AI research agents, virtual labs, and big data analytics, democratizing access for non-elite universities.
Teacher Training and Ethical Frameworks
Teachers are pivotal. The plan introduces AI literacy standards, mandatory training (full coverage via rotations), and assessments. AI enters teacher qualification exams and titles. Normal universities update curricula; Tsinghua's guidelines encourage bold exploration within ethical bounds.
Ethics is paramount: Safety audits for models, standards for data/algorithms, bans on fraud/academic cheating. The alliance's forthcoming ethics guide and international standards group ensure "intelligent benevolence."
Applications in Teaching, Research, and Governance
AI transforms HE:
- Teaching: Intelligent tutors, adaptive platforms reduce workload 30-50%.
- Research: AI agents for hypothesis generation; smart labs.
- Governance: Education "smart brain" for decisions; employment AI matching.
Digital textbooks and immersive simulations proliferate, with pilots in 30+ provinces.
International Cooperation and Global Influence
The alliance champions "going global": Mexico City Declaration upgrades MOOCs; standards sub-group for intl norms. Plans include AI youth summits, open-source festivals. China shares models via Belt & Road, positioning as AI education leader.
Photo by ShengChi Zhang on Unsplash
Challenges, Solutions, and Future Outlook
Challenges: Uneven resources, ethics risks, teacher readiness. Solutions: Tiered support, pilots, partnerships. By 2030, expect AI-native universities, 1M+ AI talents/year, global benchmarks.
For Chinese HE, this accelerates world-class status, blending tech with humanistic values. Stakeholders urge swift implementation for equitable gains. Tsinghua's vision inspires peers.
This plan not only elevates China's universities but redefines global higher education.