A boom in AI tutors in China (6 photos)

In China, there was a period of tough struggle against additional classes with tutors, so the state tried to equalize the chances of all students and reduce the burden on children. But suddenly and without tutors, parents found a way to memorize their children to death, using for this... AI!





The child just sits with a tablet, not even at the computer

What are AI classes

They are positioned as an inexpensive alternative to private tutoring. These are educational classes that use learning models based on artificial intelligence. And thus circumvent the strict rules of tutoring.

In essence, these are separate small booths with tablets with AI installed. The software tracks errors, compiles errors and corrects lessons in real time. No teachers are needed for this, only the supervision of artificial intelligence is in place.

These AI classes are called "self-study classes" to avoid the word "tutoring center", which could be closed by the state, which has officially banned tutoring for students from first to ninth grade.



There are administrators who go and solve technical issues

More than 50,000 of these AI-training centers have already opened in China. And the tuition is inexpensive, much cheaper than a tutor.

Does AI tutoring help?

The tablet is loaded not just with AI, but with programs with pre-loaded courses and learning plans.

It is believed that the AI ​​tracks the child's progress itself. Therefore, it creates individual learning paths, adjusting exercises for the child depending on his progress.





A Chinese child will never breathe freely!

Some centers sell tablets with a free month of access to the classroom, while others charge a membership fee and include the rental of the tablet.

A tablet with a free month of access to the classroom costs parents 5,000 yuan. After the first month, a monthly fee of 1,000 to 3,000 yuan per month is charged.



First graders already study at school almost until the evening in China

This is MUCH cheaper than traditional tutoring. One individual lesson with a tutor can cost from hundreds to almost 1000 yuan for just two hours. So, of course, AI is incredibly affordable in comparison.

Parents can remotely track their child's progress through mobile apps, receiving detailed reports on the heights reached and topics mastered.

But tablets are selling

After the boom in AI tutoring, tablet sales in China in 2024 reached 1.83 million units, up 49.1% from the previous year.



China suffers from a gap in education between the city and the countryside, and digitalization and tablets can make any knowledge more accessible

To be honest, I don’t really understand how these classes are more convenient than online assignments for schoolchildren, which we began to do en masse during Covid. There, too, you had to solve assignments and errors were displayed to you.

Chinese entrepreneurs are absolutely loving it, of course. They say it's an incredibly profitable business to open AI training rooms. Some claim to open four locations a year and earn an average monthly income of 90,000 yuan.



A poster about how the government is fighting private tutoring

Setting up an AI training room costs between 20,000 and several hundred thousand yuan, with a typical payback period of 1-3 months and a profit of 65%.

What do you think - is it hype? After all, kids could just study online on educational platforms? Is AI really needed here, and is it really there?