Zhang Qi, a ride-hailing driver based in Guangzhou, has turned to artificial intelligence this year to help his son make one of the most important decisions of his young life: choosing a university degree programme.
Like millions of 18-year-olds across China, Zhang’s son recently received his university entrance exam results and had to navigate the country’s labyrinthine admissions system – choosing from thousands of programmes at hundreds of schools.
Many middle-class families hire expensive “education consultants” to help their children pick a programme, but Zhang does not have that kind of money. Instead, he turned several Chinese AI chatbots into a “new free adviser”, he said.
The bots are not as good as a human consultant, but they have still proved hugely helpful, according to Zhang. They might even allow his son – who grew up in the family hometown in northern China’s Shanxi province – to realise his dream of studying in Shenzhen, one of China’s top innovation hubs.
“Before, we only knew about universities near home,” Zhang said. “Now, AI shows us which universities and majors our son’s score can get him into across the country. We’re busy making a living and can’t help our child much.”
Zhang is far from alone. AI has become a major factor in this year’s university admissions process in China, with millions of families turning to chatbots for advice on the best universities and degree programmes available.