Students play chess with intelligent robots in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu Province, China on May 13, 2025.
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BEIJING – A local government report on Thursday said China’s latest education policy that year limits the degree to which generative artificial intelligence can be used in classrooms.
The guidelines cited in the report were not published and therefore targeted AI education and generative AI use in elementary and junior high schools in 2025.
China’s Ministry of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Local government reports that instructors can use technology to support education, but primary school students are prohibited from using unlimited generation AI tools on their own.
Middle schoolers added that they can explore the reasons for generative AI and analyze information, but high school students are allowed to use technology more widely.
According to the report, the policy bans students from copying generated content directly into homework and urges schools to establish a list of approved generator AI tools that can be used by schools.
People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the dominant Communist Party of China, mentioned the new guidelines on page 6 on Thursday.
However, according to CNBC’s translation, the National Media report did not discuss specific restrictions on the use of AI, focusing instead on the aim of “scientific” and “standardized” promotions of AI education suitable for various educational stages.
Deepseek, the homemade rival of Openai, which released the Chatbot app in late January, has seen a significant increase in the use of generator AI in China. Tencent, Bytedance and other companies have released similar chatbots that are surged in popularity in China.
