Universities cater to AI study demand

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most popular majors across China's institutions of higher education. More than 600 universities have launched AI undergraduate programs as of 2026, based on data from the Ministry of Education, marking explosive growth from just 35 institutions approved in 2018.

According to financial media outlet Yicai, among China's "Double First-Class" universities — the country's elite tier of institutions of higher education — at least 90 have launched AI-related schools or colleges.

The rapid expansion has been driven by a powerful convergence of national strategy and market demand.

In April, the Ministry of Education, together with four other central government departments, jointly issued an action plan outlining comprehensive measures for AI talent cultivation, application innovation, infrastructure development and ecosystem building.

The plan calls for making AI a public foundational course in higher education, creating new interdisciplinary programs and exploring new models for cultivating top-tier AI talent. The move followed the release of the 2026 undergraduate program catalog by the Ministry of Education in the same month. The catalog added 38 new undergraduate majors, including AI for business, embodied intelligence and brain-computer science and technology.

Universities are not merely adding new departments; they are fundamentally restructuring their academic ecosystems around AI. MyCOS, an education research institute, noted that when institutions establish AI schools, they often do not start from scratch. Instead, they consolidate existing computer science, big data and automation programs into new academic units.

Fudan University has rolled out a three-tiered AI curriculum system aimed at achieving 100 percent coverage across all undergraduate and graduate students, first-level disciplines and majors, according to a report from the university.

Ningbo University now requires every major to offer at least one "AI+" interdisciplinary course. Tsinghua University has emphasized an "AI+X" model that integrates AI across all disciplines, according to the official websites of both universities.

China's core AI industry was valued at more than 1.2 trillion yuan ($177 billion) in 2025, according to a Xinhua News Agency report quoting a senior Chinese official.

Yet demand for talent is far outstripping supply. Projections from McKinsey & Company suggest China could face a shortage of up to 4 million AI professionals by 2030. This "AI+" transformation extends beyond traditional technology fields.

Rao Yanting, an associate researcher at the China National Academy of Education Sciences, told China Central Television that AI is no longer just a major but is increasingly permeating every academic field, including not only science and engineering but also the humanities and social sciences.

However, as universities race to establish AI credentials, prominent voices in academia are raising concerns about sustainability and educational quality.

Fang Fuquan, president of Capital Normal University, told Beijing News that AI is a technology rather than a science.

Just as humanity's understanding of the universe relies on fundamental sciences such as the periodic table and Newton's laws, an excessive focus on technology at the expense of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and even humanities and the arts could have unintended consequences, he said.

He warned that people may lack the knowledge to distinguish truth from falsehood in AI-generated videos that defy physical laws.

Fang said that while there is widespread pursuit of quick results and greater emphasis on AI applications, universities must guide students to build a solid foundation in basic sciences alongside technological skills.

"Society should foster an ecosystem where not everyone needs to work on AI applications," he said."Those who pursue basic sciences, humanities and the arts can also become outstanding talents."

"Science has its contingencies; a discipline that is obscure today may flourish in a few years," he said, calling for a more scientific and forward-looking evaluation system.

During the April action plan announcement, Jin Li, president of Fudan University, said AI models are iterating every few months, and what is popular today may become obsolete tomorrow.

"If universities are still training 'finished-product' talent, that's like clinging to a sword while crossing a river," he said.

Jin often uses a metaphor to describe the type of talent universities should cultivate.

"We should cultivate 'stem cell-style' talents — people who can quickly establish cognitive frameworks in unknown domains, integrate resources across disciplinary boundaries and continuously iterate in the face of failure," he said.