In the following article, Chen Jiaqi, a journalist with CGTN, looks at how China is preparing its workforce and education system for the spread of artificial intelligence and robotics. Chinese manufacturers now account for more than 97 percent of global humanoid robot shipments, and the article details the measures being taken to ensure that technology uplifts rather than displaces working people: assessing AI’s impact on jobs, expanding AI training and skills assessment, formally recognising new occupations such as embodied intelligence robot technician, and introducing new interdisciplinary university degrees.
This people-centred approach – summed up in Xi Jinping’s call to “develop AI for the positive and for good”, under human control and in the service of shared prosperity – stands in sharp contrast to that of the United States. Washington’s AI Action Plan, tellingly titled “Winning the Race”, prioritises stripping away “red tape and onerous regulation”, shows minimal concern for the social impact of the technology, and sets the goal of “unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance”. The aim is to “win AI”, so that a handful of US tech giants can extract monopoly rents from the rest of the world.
China, by contrast, treats AI as a tool for development – its own and that of the Global South – and promotes open-source models, international cooperation and global governance of the technology.
This article first appeared in the Morning Star.
When more than 2,000 humanoid robots from 16 countries took part in the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing this August, they did not just compete against each other.
Across 51 events — from sporting competitions to manufacturing, logistics, hospitality and emergency response — they tackled tasks humans perform every day. How societies adapt to this disruptive technology is becoming a global question.
Robots are advancing fast. China’s humanoid robot makers accounted for more than 97 per cent of global shipments in the first half of 2026, according to market research firm Smart Analytics Global.
In September, Chinese robot-maker UBTECH put its humanoid-robot factory in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, into operation, with a planned annual capacity of more than 10,000 robots and a target production cadence of one robot every 10 minutes.
Investors are betting on this rapid expansion. In August, Chinese robotics firm Unitree launched its IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s tech-focused STAR Market. Its US$900 million (£680m) offering was oversubscribed by retail investors by more than 8,000 times, underscoring strong investor interest in the sector.
As these machines move beyond competition arenas and into factories and warehouses, the challenge is no longer whether robots can work but whether human jobs can keep pace.
That question is not unique to China. At the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Chinese President Xi Jinping said all countries should “take a people-centred approach and develop AI for the positive and for good.” He called for AI to drive shared prosperity and common security, while stressing that it should remain under human control.
Job protection
Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, said some groups would inevitably be affected by technological change, making it crucial to strengthen social safety nets and provide support for those affected.
He noted that China is pursuing an employment-friendly development model, co-ordinating its employment-first goals with fiscal and industrial policies — an approach he said is also worth learning from and sharing among economies.
The job market is the front line of policy efforts. In July, China issued policies to promote AI applications in human resources and social security, with a focus on employment and talent development. The measures called for assessing AI’s impact on jobs, encouraging innovation that creates more employment opportunities, and expanding AI training and skills assessment to help workers adapt to an AI-powered economy.
China is also creating new pathways into the evolving labour market. In September, China officially recognised 11 new occupations and 23 new specialties within existing occupations, including embodied intelligence robot technician and AI agent developer — formalising new career paths emerging alongside technological change.
Classrooms for the future
The shift is also reaching classrooms. As AI and robotics reshape industries, China is expanding training for emerging sectors and for interdisciplinary talent. In 2026, the Ministry of Education added an “interdisciplinary studies” category to its undergraduate major catalogue, introducing new majors such as embodied intelligence and brain computer science and technology.
Zhejiang University has launched an undergraduate programme in embodied intelligence, drawing on fields including control science, AI, computer science and aerospace engineering.
The curriculum covers areas such as large models and intelligent agents, embodied navigation and control and multimodal perception, preparing students for careers in smart manufacturing, robotics and other AI-driven industries.
China’s strategy goes beyond building robots alone; it is building an AI-driven ecosystem that links industrial supply chains, universities, businesses and labour markets. The goal is to accelerate technological advance while preparing workers for evolving job requirements.
The supply-chain front is already taking shape. Beijing’s E-Town hosts more than 300 robotics firms and a 4,000-square-metre robot 4S store featuring more than 150 industrial, medical and home-use robot products.
Robot Valley in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district brings together more than 200 enterprises, forming a complete industrial chain from core components to real-world applications. These industrial clusters connect suppliers, researchers, manufacturers and end-users, shortening the path from research and development to commercial rollout.
As the world is only beginning to figure out how to help workers adapt as AI reshapes industries and jobs, China is navigating this transformation by preparing its workforce for shifting demands and collaborating with the international community to build a more inclusive AI future.
How nations respond to this challenge could shape employment, economic growth and social development through one of the biggest technological transformations of the coming decades.