--- title: "Jack Ma, Alibaba leaders call for education overhaul in the age of AI" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/277734958.md" description: "Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and Alibaba leaders discussed the impact of AI on education during a meeting with teachers in Hangzhou. Ma emphasized the immense opportunities AI presents, suggesting it could help education focus on creativity rather than rote memorization. Key skills for the AI era, such as critical thinking and communication, were highlighted by Alibaba's leadership. They advocated for using AI to handle repetitive tasks, allowing individuals to develop unique qualities. The discussions aligned with economist Cai Fang's call for increased investment in education and lifelong learning in the AI age." datetime: "2026-03-04T06:41:03.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/277734958.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277734958.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/277734958.md) --- # Jack Ma, Alibaba leaders call for education overhaul in the age of AI Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and the core leadership of Alibaba Group Holding and Ant Group spent over an hour with teachers in Hangzhou on Tuesday, discussing the profound challenges and opportunities brought about by artificial intelligence. Ma told the group that the impact of AI was “immense”, but so were the “opportunities” and that teenagers held the greatest hope and opportunity for adapting to and enabling transformation in the AI era, according to a statement issued by Hangzhou Yungu School, which hosted the visit. AI offered a chance for education to “return to its essence”, Ma said. Time spent memorising textbooks could be freed up to cultivate creativity and imagination, according to the founder of Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post. The meeting involved dozens of teachers at the school in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province where Alibaba is based. The privately run school, which covers kindergarten to high school, was funded by Alibaba’s founders. Present at the meeting were Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai, CEO Eddie Wu Yongming, e-commerce business group CEO Jiang Fan, Ant chairman Eric Jing Xiandong and Ant CEO Cyril Han Xinyi. Ant is the fintech affiliate of Alibaba. Tsai highlighted a skill essential in the AI era: critical thinking, which was about asking the right questions. The ability to communicate – both with machines and other people – may become one of the most crucial skills. Wu distilled the human-machine distinction into three elements: curiosity, empathy and physical strength. He argued that as mental labour was increasingly replaced by AI, physical vitality became crucial, suggesting that sports would become increasingly important in a digital world. Ant’s Jing said that AI should be used to handle repetitive tasks, freeing up people to cultivate their unique qualities, such as aesthetic sense, creativity and imagination. He also cautioned that while relying on AI, people must avoid letting it become an “indispensable crutch”. The discussions echoed what prominent economist Cai Fang said last week about the need for policymakers to shift from investing in capital to investing in people in the age of AI. This would involve increasing investment in early childhood education and lifelong learning, according to Cai, who focuses on labour economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. ### Related Stocks - [BABX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BABX.US.md) - [KBAB.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/KBAB.US.md) - [09988.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/09988.HK.md) - [BABA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BABA.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Barclays Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Alibaba (BABA)](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282639893.md) - [Heading into the heart of Q2, these are the 3 artificial intelligence (AI) stocks I want to own](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282764091.md) - [Women's health startup Midi Health hit a $1 billion valuation. Its founder says AI changed everything.](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282780254.md) - [3 reasons Microsoft stock is back in rally mode](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282872287.md) - [ZAWYA: CUD launches MSc in Environmental Artificial Intelligence to power AI-driven sustainability](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282806702.md)