- Vice President Han Zheng calls for fair and safe AI adoption in schools
- UNESCO highlights China’s digital education platform as a global example
China opened the 2026 World Digital Education Conference in Hangzhou on May 11, with senior officials, educators and technology firms gathering to discuss how AI is reshaping classrooms, governance and access to education.
The three-day event, running through May 13, is co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Education and the Zhejiang provincial government under the theme “AI and Education: Transformation, Development and Governance.”
More than 850 representatives from governments, international organizations, schools, universities and companies attended the opening ceremony.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said in his keynote that China has accelerated its national digital education strategy in recent years and is working with other countries to build what he called a “fairer, more inclusive and sustainable” global digital education system.
Han outlined four priorities for AI in education: keeping teaching human-centered, ensuring equal access, promoting safe and responsible AI development, and strengthening international cooperation.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany said strong public digital infrastructure is essential to ensuring education systems remain inclusive and aligned with public interests.
He cited China’s national smart education platform, which received a UNESCO ICT in Education Prize, as an example of how public infrastructure can scale access to educational resources.
As host city, Hangzhou has become one of China’s earliest adopters of AI education programs. Local authorities said AI literacy courses now cover all grade levels across the city’s primary and secondary schools, with students receiving at least 10 class hours per academic year.
Hangzhou has established 439 smart education model schools and 54 digital education innovation schools.
In science education, the city’s signature edtech platform, known as kexue linghang, or “Science Leading Hangzhou,” now serves nearly 180 schools. Students have submitted more than 420,000 questions through the platform, while teachers have logged more than 9,200 hours using AI tools for lesson preparation.
The conference also featured a global digital education exhibition. Unitree demonstrated embodied AI robots designed for education settings, with a company representative saying future generations will increasingly live and work alongside intelligent machines, local media reported.
A primary school in Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan District showcased AI-assisted personalized teaching methods designed to reduce repetitive tasks for students and teachers.
Organizers also arranged seven tour routes showcasing digital education in Hangzhou, spanning primary, vocational and higher education institutions.
Trips are also planned to visit companies including Alibaba Group and several of the city’s iconic “Six Dragons,” meaning a cohort of Hangzhou-based deeptech startups that rose to global fame early last year.
