Editor's note:?The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has deeply affected the education system, the labor market and the training of talent. Redstar News spoke to Han Xibin, a senior fellow at the China Association for Educational Technology, on how AI education needs to consider the broader context of industrial change and economic restructuring. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

China is actively promoting AI education, but it emphasizes the need to proceed "prudently". For younger children, the use and study of AI should take place under the guidance of teachers and parents.

At the early stage, the goal is primarily to stimulate the curiosity and interest of the student. More structured and knowledge-based learning is introduced in high school, where education focuses on developing the ability to collaborate effectively with AI systems, alongside strengthening critical thinking and creativity.

One growing area of attention is the integration of science education with general AI literacy. Earlier phases of educational digitalization mainly leveraged technology to enhance students' learning and communication abilities. The current AI revolution, however, is reshaping the underlying logic of education itself. Students must be trained to use AI as naturally and easily as they use pen and paper.

Education has two core functions. One is to nurture children's intellectual and emotional development and support their healthy growth. The other is to prepare young people to meet the needs of society.

By the university stage, however, education must also address the employability of the student. In this sense, AI is less capable in areas related to the humanities and human development, and works more effectively in disseminating knowledge.

Education, however, is more like agriculture than industry. Agriculture depends on the right environment, such as temperature, sunshine and water. If universities focus only on delivering knowledge, AI might indeed do that more efficiently. But universities also bear the greater responsibility of cultivating top-tier talent. That requires providing students with personalized environments and long-term support that machines alone cannot offer.

From a broader perspective, AI has already become an unavoidable force shaping society. Its influence first emerged in the economy and industry, and is now profoundly transforming the labor market. On the one hand, major internet companies are streamlining their workforces. On the other, the rise of the one-person company model is accelerating. Both trends reflect how AI is reshaping work structures and redefining job requirements.

Traditionally, companies relied on standardized job systems built around fixed responsibilities assigned to individuals because such structures were easier to manage and evaluate. AI has disrupted this model by breaking jobs down into specific tasks.

At the same time, new forms of employment are emerging. These new roles often require hybrid skill sets such as combining technical expertise, management capabilities and proficiency in using AI tools.

Non-standardized jobs are generally more difficult to replace than standardized ones. After training AI systems to handle repetitive tasks, many companies find that replacing more flexible and complex work is often too costly or impractical given current application limits.

Whether education systems can keep pace with such rapid and complex transformations remains an open and deeply important question. Education, therefore, must be examined within the broader context of industrial change and economic restructuring.