At just 14, Zhang Shaoqing's prowess with AI tools means he could easily be included in the ranks of the new wave of "super students" but it's a description he balks at.

"Daring to imagine and daring to try is encouraging, but it's also a kind of pressure; it's as if I'm not a good student unless I've built something," said the ninth-grader at Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science in Jiangsu province.

"I don't want to be defined as a 'super student.' I would rather be seen as an ordinary student who has stayed passionate about one field for a long time," he added.

His mother Liu Liwei, who has encouraged his development and interests, is also uncomfortable with the super student label, which has recently gained online traction.

Many youngsters involved in sophisticated technology projects are not necessarily way ahead of others, but have benefited from opportunities, guidance and supportive environments, she said. "I always remind him not to think he is better than others. He has simply received opportunities that many students may not have had," said Liu.

From developing artificial intelligence tools for schools to creating digital content, a growing number of Chinese teenagers are moving from technology users to creators, offering a glimpse into how they are exploring opportunities and challenges in the AI era.

In recent years, Chinese school students have begun participating in AI competitions, open-source communities and industry-linked innovation programs once mainly associated with university students and professionals.

Tencent Youth Tech Training Camp, launched in 2016, has attracted more than 900,000 users to its platform, partnered with over 2,000 schools and accumulated more than 40,000 works as of September 2026.

Dong Xinye, deputy director of the Youth Innovation Education Center at Shenzhen InnoX Academy, an education program that aims to nurture innovative talent for the AI era through project-based learning, said teenagers' participation in AI and innovation programs has grown significantly in recent years.

"What was once a niche interest among a small number of technology enthusiasts has gradually become a mainstream way for young people to explore the world," said Dong.

Self-taught prodigy

Shaoqing has already built several technology-based tools for his school, participated in hackathons and innovation programs, and served as a technical teaching assistant at an AI camp.

In primary school, he tried an object-oriented programming language used to build software, but found it too abstract.

In seventh grade, a school course on game development introduced him to a more practical way of creating. A seven-day AI hackathon organized by Super Brain Studio in the summer of 2025 was a major turning point.

"That experience opened a door for me. For the first time, I realized that AI could help one person solve problems for many people. After returning home, I couldn't stop thinking about what I wanted to build next," said Shaoqing.

Inspired by the experience, he began teaching himself AI-related skills, focusing less on advanced coding than on learning enough to build functioning products.

Many of his ideas came from everyday observations. After noticing students often forgot homework assignments, Shaoqing developed a homework management system that expanded from a single class to an entire grade.

He later created Dipont Exchange, a platform for charity sales, secondhand uniform trading, and lost-and-found services. Another project, Dipont Vocabulary, used gaming mechanics such as rankings and team competitions to make learning English more engaging.

Building products also taught him lessons beyond coding. After launching each one, he spent weeks fixing bugs and responding to user feedback, realizing that continuous improvement could be as important as building the product.

The teenager has taken part in Tencent's Future Pioneer Program, the Mini Goose Innovation Camp, the Super Brain AI Incubator, and the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which he said had the greatest impact on him by demonstrating AI could solve real-world problems.

In July, Shaoqing served as a technical teaching assistant at the AI For Good camp organized by the Super Brain AI Incubator, helping younger participants navigate technical challenges.

His advice to students interested in AI is, "stay curious, stay passionate, and build things that can genuinely help other people".

During the summer vacation, he also developed Super Brain Studio, an AI learning platform now available on Apple's App Store, with a miniprogram awaiting approval. He hopes to build a public-benefit AI learning community where educators can share learning videos and users can learn together.

His mother said Shaoqing received no intensive academic training, adding his interest in technology grew out of daily experiences, especially his curiosity about games.

However, Liu believes exploration of projects should not come at the expense of basic learning. "Projects are an addition to education, not a replacement for learning. Children need to learn how to balance their interests, responsibilities and choices," she said.

Practical use

Shaoqing's experience fits a wider pattern, as more teenagers move from learning about technology to applying it in real settings, amid broader shifts in the skills the future workforce will need.

Employers expect 39 percent of workers' core skills to change by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025.

Dong, from the Youth Innovation Education Center, said students are joining innovation projects at younger ages, with topics ranging from eldercare solutions to sailing-training systems.

AI has lowered the barriers to implementing innovative ideas, she said, allowing students to turn their concepts into prototypes more quickly. In turn, this places greater emphasis on their ability to identify meaningful problems and improve their ideas. Shenzhen InnoX Academy has received more than 4,700 applications and supported 456 students, who have developed over 90 innovation projects during its bootcamps.

Dong said students often shift from searching for standard answers to defining problems themselves.

"Many initially focus on what technology they want to use, but gradually realize that innovation begins with understanding real users and real needs," she said.

Students are also learning to view failure as an opportunity to improve through testing, feedback and revision.

As terms such as "super student" gain popularity online, Dong believes the phenomenon should be viewed rationally.

"The goal of innovation education is not to cultivate a small number of 'super students'. What matters is not whether a student achieves something at a certain age, but whether they develop the ability to keep exploring, learning and solving problems," she said.

She also pushed back on the idea that early exposure to real-world projects leads to burnout. "The goal isn't to replicate adult workplace models, but to create an exploration environment suited to students' stage of growth," said Dong.

Digital platforms have also expanded opportunities for young people to create and share ideas. Nearly 3.1 million content creators earned income on Bilibili in 2024, and about 70 percent of people born in the 1990s are active in its community, according to the platform's 2024 financial results.

Opportunities, pressure

After graduating from Jiangsu Tongzhou Senior High School, Zhang Xuyi — who uses the name Daniel online — has enrolled in the Digital Media Art major at Communication University of China.

He started making videos in sixth grade, driven by curiosity about smartphones, computers and emerging technologies. He taught himself editing, scripting and production with simple equipment.

"At the beginning, making videos was never about gaining followers or building a future career. I simply enjoyed the process of turning an idea into something real that could be seen by other people," Daniel said.

Over the years, his interest grew from product reviews into exploring the people and ideas behind innovation. He has amassed more than 1.1 million followers across platforms, including 500,000 on Bilibili, with some videos receiving millions of views, and interviewed technology professionals and attended major industry events.

One experience that left a lasting impression was the chance to speak with then Apple CEO Tim Cook. Daniel was one of several young creators invited to interact with Cook during his visit to China in March. The encounter made him realize meaningful dialogue is not determined by age, but by preparation and independent thinking.

"Age itself does not decide whether a question has value. What matters is whether you observe the world carefully, develop your own thoughts and have the courage to ask meaningful questions," he said.

Attending technology conferences also changed how Daniel viewed his own role, from a student following tech news online to someone standing among engineers, industry professionals and media representatives.

Still, he does not see himself as fundamentally different from other teenagers. "I don't think I am more special than other students. I have simply chosen a path that is less common. My classmates may spend their time on sports, clubs or other interests, while I spend part of my time creating videos and exploring technology," he said.

In 2024, Daniel was named one of China's "New Era Good Youth", a national recognition program honoring outstanding young people. He has also produced public-interest content, including fraud prevention videos, and used AI tools to create family portraits for local residents.

As more teenagers explore AI and digital creation, Daniel believes the trend brings both opportunities and pressure.

Being labeled a "super student" is not about achieving success earlier than others, he added. "It is more about having the ability to keep growing, knowing why you started, and continuing to learn and adapt when things change," he said.

Ethical issues

The growing interest in AI education comes as China moves to integrate artificial intelligence into schools and learning environments. In April, the Ministry of Education and four other central government departments released an action plan calling for deeper integration of AI and education by 2030.

"We will build a general AI literacy system for all stages of education and for the whole of society," Zhou Dawang, director of the ministry's Department of Science, Technology and Informatization, said.

Chen Xiangdong, a professor at the Faculty of Education at East China Normal University, said tools such as large language models, opensource platforms and low-code development tools have allowed students to move from learning about AI to using it to solve real problems.

The biggest difference between traditional academic exercises and real projects is that real-world problems rarely come with clear answers, requiring students to identify what problem is worth solving, test different approaches and take responsibility for the results, Chen said.

"Real-world projects help students move from finding the correct answer to understanding real situations. They learn not only how to build something, but also why they build it and whom it should serve," he said.

He also pointed out that opportunities to participate in such projects are not open to all. Students who have access to expert guidance, advanced equipment and supportive environments enjoy more chances to experiment than others.

"The gap is no longer only about whether students can access technology. More importantly, it is about whether they can understand technology, evaluate its outputs and use it creatively," he said.

Chen also firmly believes that humanistic education in basic schooling needs to be strengthened, not weakened, in the AI era. AI education should also cultivate critical thinking, ethical awareness and independent judgment.

If education systems continue training students to copy knowledge and produce template answers, it risks reinforcing the very abilities AI can replace most easily, he said.

"AI can generate answers quickly, but education must help young people decide which questions are worth asking and which judgments cannot be handed over to machines. The stronger AI becomes, the more education needs to help them become people who don't easily hand over their own judgment," said Chen.