With AI reshaping production, services and talent needs, China's higher education institutions are moving quickly to keep pace.

On Friday, the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) launched its School of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, upgrading its long-established School of Information Technology and Management in an effort to align more closely with national priorities in the digital era.

UIBE president Zhao Zhongxiu called the new school "a strategic realignment" that reflects both rapid technological change and rising demand for interdisciplinary talent. Centered on a dual engine of "AI+data science", the school will integrate UIBE's strengths in economics, management, law and the humanities to build an "AI + social sciences" innovation platform.

Zhao said the school will focus on developing globally minded, innovation-oriented talent; advancing research in areas such as AI governance, computational economics and intelligent management; and expanding collaboration with leading universities, enterprises and government departments. These efforts, he noted, will help the university contribute more effectively to national goals in education, science and talent development.

Industry leaders say the launch comes at a pivotal moment. Ren Pingping, vice-president of iFlytek Co, said AI has moved rapidly "from technological exploration to widespread application", with China's generative AI user base surpassing 500 million as of June. This surge, she noted, is reshaping production systems, service models and educational approaches.

Citing World Economic Forum projections that AI will displace 9 million jobs and create 11 million new ones by 2025, Ren stressed the need for graduates who understand both technological systems and social dynamics.

She said UIBE's cross-disciplinary model — with its emphasis on trustworthy, controllable and explainable AI — offers strong foundations for joint research, talent training and scenario-based experimentation. iFlytek, she added, looks forward to deepening cooperation with the new school.

UIBE's upgrade reflects a broader nationwide shift. As demand for high-level AI talent grows, Chinese universities have significantly expanded their AI programs. Since the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the country's first AI school in 2017, the pace has accelerated.

In 2024 alone, more than a dozen major institutions — including Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology, the University of Science and Technology of China and Wuhan University — have created or restructured AI schools.

More than 70 universities nationwide now host dedicated AI colleges, highlighting the rapid expansion of China's AI education landscape.