China catching up in AI education

China is rapidly catching up with the United States, which still leads the artificial intelligence education sector, Tuesday's AIAED conference in Shanghai was told. 

Huge investment, an abundance of talent and great market potential are fueling the development of China’s AI education firms, said Li Haoyang, founder and chairman of local startup Squirrel AI Learning.

“China has opportunities to overtake in a corner of AI learning,” Li told the AI+ Adaptive Education Conference or AIAED.

By the end of the first quarter, there were more than 100 adaptive AI education firms globally, with 52 from the US, followed by China and India, according to a global AI education report released by Deloitte during the conference.

Though Chinese firms started the AI education business later, they had won the most investment globally by case numbers meaning that China has become one of the hottest regions worldwide for AI education.

In 2020, Squirrel AI Learning aims to have 5,000 learning centers nationwide offering its online education services, double the current level. With combined fundraising of about 1 billion yuan (US$143 million), the company is expected to issue an initial public offering in the coming years.

Researchers from the United Nations and professors from US universities outlined the latest developments in AI education during the conference.