China is looking at ways to integrate artificial intelligence applications into teaching efforts, textbooks and the school curriculum as it moves to overhaul education, authorities said in an official paper released on Wednesday.

The move, targeting pupils and educators across primary, secondary and higher levels, comes as the world's second-largest economy looks to boost innovation and find new sources of growth.

Promoting AI would help "cultivate the basic abilities of teachers and students", and shape the "core competitiveness of innovative talents", the Ministry of Education said.

For students, such basic abilities range from independent thinking and problem-solving to communication and cooperation, it said in a statement on its website.

Use of AI would also lead to more innovative and challenging classrooms, it added.

The ministry said it is proposing to deepen the use of large models in education by promoting "the intelligent upgrading of curricula, textbooks and teaching systems, integrate AI into the whole process of education and teaching", according to the Global Times newspaper.

The effort comes after Chinese universities launched AI courses and widened enrolment after the DeepSeek startup drew global attention in January with the launch of a competitive large-language model cheaper to develop than US peers.

That month China also unveiled its first national action plan to attain a "strong-education nation" by 2035, aiming to harness innovation efficiencies in reaching the goal. (Reuters)