Beijing became the first provincial-level administrative region in China to introduce compulsory AI classes across all public primary and secondary schools. From the autumn 2025 semester, over 1,400 schools in the municipality provide no fewer than eight class hours of AI education per semester, covering all grade levels from primary through senior high school. The curriculum addresses four areas: basic AI concepts, applications and technologies, implementation methods, and ethics and society.
AI course evaluation results are included in students’ comprehensive quality assessments, with performance measured through knowledge tests, project presentations, work exhibitions, and thematic debates. Electronic learning portfolios track student progress. Beijing is leveraging its concentration of universities, research institutes, and technology companies to supply instructors and establish AI labs, experience centres, and exhibition halls in schools.
Who it affects: All students in Beijing’s 1,400+ public primary and secondary schools. The compulsory nature and assessment integration means this is a binding obligation for schools, not a voluntary pilot.
What is notably missing: The eight class hours per semester is the minimum, but no maximum or target is published. Teacher preparation requirements specific to AI instruction are not detailed. The initiative builds on Beijing’s existing technology infrastructure advantage, which other Chinese provinces cannot easily replicate.