China
32%
9/28
AI Gap Index
7/10
Schools
0/8
Workforce
2/6
Governance
0/4
Access
Schools 7/10
D1 AI literacy curriculum exists in schools 2 Ministry of Education issued binding Guidelines for AI General Education in Primary and Secondary Schools (2025); mandatory tiered curriculum from grade 1-12; implementation mandate to cover all schools by 2030 [1], [3]
D2 Curriculum is binding law or mandate 2 Both guidelines are binding law issued by Ministry of Education; minimum 8 class hours of AI education required across all grade levels [1], [3]
D3 Ethics component included in curriculum 1 Generative AI guidelines and general guidelines both include ethics, safety, and critical evaluation components; ethics explicitly required [1], [3]
D4 Teacher training mandated and funded before rollout 1 Teacher training mandated through national teacher training framework and the April 2026 AI+ Education Action Plan adds AI knowledge to teacher qualification exams and proposes a national teacher AI literacy standard; funded pilots trained 2.97 million teachers (2018-2024); specialist recruitment from universities and tech companies [1], [3]
Workforce 0/8
D6 Employers legally required to train all employees 0
D7 Training must cover ethics and critical evaluation 0
D8 Pre-redundancy training obligation exists 0
D9 Workers have rights when AI used in employment decisions 0
Civil Service & Governance 2/6
D10 Civil servants working with AI must receive training 2 Ministry of Education (central authority) and local education bureaus have explicit mandate to implement and oversee AI curriculum; legal authority to set standards and conduct oversight [3]
D11 Minimum training standard is defined 0 Guidelines require teacher training and competency; no defined minimum standard or verification mechanism specified beyond curriculum requirements [3]
D12 Enforcement mechanism exists with named authority 0
Public Access 0/4
D13 Free or publicly funded AI literacy resources available 0
D14 Digital infrastructure support for schools and institutions 0
Subregion map
Coloured regions are scored. Grey = no data yet. Click a region to open its profile.
Regions & states
Subregions inherit supranational obligations from their parent country but may have additional local policy. Scores reflect local policy only.
Region
Schools /10
Workforce /8
Governance /6
Access /4
Total
Zhejiang
7
0
0
1
8 29%
Anhui
7
0
0
0
7 25%
Beijing
7
0
0
0
7 25%
Hunan
7
0
0
0
7 25%
Shanghai
7
0
0
0
7 25%
Guangdong
6
0
0
0
6 21%
Hebei
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Henan
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Jiangsu
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Shandong
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Sichuan
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Index history
April 22, 2026 9/28 Scheduled refresh — all pending leads already covered in prior research; no new distinct items identified within 90-day window
April 21, 2026 9/28 April 2026 AI+ Education Action Plan strengthens teacher training mandate by adding AI to teacher qualification exams; national teacher AI literacy standard under development — no score change (conservative: standard not yet in force)
March 18, 2026 7/28 China's Ministry of Education issued binding AI education guidelines for all schools by 2030; curriculum mandatory with ethics component; teacher training mandated; governance: Ministry has full regulatory authority; implementation challenges reported (teacher readiness, infrastructure gaps, particularly in rural areas)