BEIJING: Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to science and engineering. It has become a general education subject for students across disciplines.
In 2023, China’s Ministry of Education laid out a plan for optimizing emerging disciplines by 2025, in a quest to keep in touch with new technologies, emerging sectors and new business modes.
The recent government work report also emphasizes efforts to expand quality undergraduate education and accelerate the development of world-class universities and academic disciplines.
Accordingly, leading Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University, Wuhan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have announced plans to expand their enrollments in AI and related interdisciplinary fields to meet growing demand.
Medicine is one of the most closely integrated disciplines. Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University currently offers over 20 AI-related courses, which cover both essential computer theories and practical applications.
“Deep Learning in Medical Imaging” is one such course. The teaching team for this course consists of professors with backgrounds in biomedical engineering, who deeply understand the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.
While enhancing AI education, Chinese universities also place great emphasis on collaborating with industries and enterprises. For instance, Nanjing University in east China’s Jiangsu Province has worked closely with leading tech enterprises, such as Baidu and Huawei, to jointly develop intelligent tools that support AI-based teaching and assessment.
Chengdu-based Southwest Jiaotong University in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, meanwhile, has partnered with Amazon, JD.com and other companies in designing AI courses to enhance the practical skills of students. The university has also established a training system for top-tier AI talent, spanning undergraduate to doctoral levels.
China’s long-term vision for education was reinforced in January with the unveiling of a master plan concerning building the country into a leading nation in terms of education by 2035.
“DeepSeek and robotics represent China’s achievements in technological innovation and talent cultivation, while also placing new demands on our education development and talent training,” said China’s Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng.
The need is clear – job postings for drone engineers, algorithm engineers and machine learning positions saw a year-on-year increase of about 40 percent in February, according to a survey by Zhaopin, an online recruitment platform in China. Industry reports indicate that by 2030, China is likely to face a shortage of 4 million AI professionals.
Experts believe that fostering collaboration between universities and enterprises is key to bridging the gap between talent development levels and enterprise needs – while also enhancing university research via enterprise technology.
“Higher education in any country is a valuable resource for national strategy,” Huai said, adding that more efforts will be made to incorporate key fields, such as AI and biotechnology, to better align with national strategies and technological development. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
