China AI education catching up with US 
2019-11-13
China is rapidly catching up with the United States, which still leads in the artificial intelligence education sector, according to the AI+ Adaptive Education Conference in Shanghai.
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 AI learning,” Li said.
By the end of the first quarter in 2019, there were more than 100 adaptive AI education firms in the world, with 52 from the US, followed by China and India, according to a global AI education report released by Deloitte at the conference.
Though Chinese firms hit upon 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.
