Computer programmer Fei Zhaojun’s boss asked him if artificial intelligence should soon replace humans in coding jobs. Two weeks later, he was laid off from his job in Beijing, together with about 160 of his colleagues.
It’s an increasingly common situation as artificial intelligence, supported by government policies, reshapes China’s huge job market. Some economists believe that might undermine the overall strength of the world’s second largest economy.
Fast adoption of AI in many fields, from computer programmers to script writing and physical tasks, is driving people out of their jobs or leaving them afraid that it might. China is at the vanguard of AI adoption as authorities regulations inspire people and businesses to use AI applications and robotics in all aspects of life, so people like Fei are figuring out how to adapt.
“There seems to be a far less anti-AI sentiment in China (than elsewhere). Most people seem either positive, neutral, or mildly interested in AI,” stated Shujing He, a Beijing-based senior analyst at advisory and research firm Plenum.
A man walks by as workers rest near a board promoting Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 25, 2026.
“Individuals who worry about being replaced, as well as the ones who’ve already left traditional workplaces, are frequently eager to experiment with AI-enabled businesses and independent projects,” she stated. “The level of interest is striking.”
Until these days, Fei had doubted AI could do programming work precisely, despite that his bosses thought it was close enough.
“Mid-level coders’ job are essentially replaceable in most of the cases,” stated Fei, 40. “Even if it’s a disaster that leads to replacing all humans, at this stage, you just have to use it as everyone else is using it.”
Now he’s making vlog-style short videos throughout a career break whilst finding out what he wants to do next. He’s not making a living off of his videos, which are about ordinary peoople’s lives, but hopes that they might support others.
If you cannot beat them, join them
Du Qinchun, a oart-time translator, has been supporting to train an AI model to do translations. That’s brought him more work, at the least temporarily.
Fei Zhaojun, a former software engineer speaks during an interview at his home in Beijing on July 13, 2026.
“But it’s true that the pay in the industry has been cut by more than half of compared to what it was years ago,” mention Du, who is based in southwestern China’s Chengdu city.
The trends is so evident that popular college programs in foreign languages have an increasingly fallen out of favor as AI-powered translation tools have become more widespread.
The share of Chinese industrial enterprises mention they use AI models and “agents” scaled to 47.5% last year from 9.6% in 2024, as per market intelligence firm IDC.
“China’s vibrant open-source model ecosystem fosters major AI application innovation in industrial settings, progressively closing the gap between foundational model capabilities and real-world enterprise value creation,” said Yanze Du, an IDC senior research manager in Beijing.
Humanoid robots can now, as an example, sort parcels in postal centers, although nonetheless on a small-scale basis, and are pushing the boundaries in performing more human tasks together with directing traffic and making coffee. Food delivery robots also are gaining ground across the country states, potentially threatening the livelihoods of millions of Chinese food delivery workers.
Generative AI increasingly is used for creation, manufacturing and distribution in China’s short drama industry. The number of live-action brief and vertical video series designed for mobile phones fell approximately 75% in the first quarter of this year from a year earlier, as per Chinese media reports.
“Tasks that once needed specialized training can now be carried out by almost anyone with access to AI tools. This is specially evident in software development and multimedia creation,” said Plenum’s He. “As a result, workers whose roles are narrowly focused in those areas can also face greater displacement risk.”
A report from International Labor Organization, meanwhile, found that women face higher risks of dropping employment because of use of AI than men, as they tend to work in areas more appropriate for automation, which include assembling electronics, and stay underrepresented in science and technology.
AI has mixed effects at the slowing economy
Under China’s “AI Plus” initiative and its 5-year plan via 2030, the government is pushing to infuse AI across many industries, targeting to gain an edge in China’s technology rivalry with the U.S.
“What is specific to China is that the government is really into diffusing AI across the economy, so AI might also get into specific domain more fast comparing to other countries,” said Zilan Qian, a research relate at Oxford China Policy Lab.
China’s economic growth has already been slowing. Consumer spending has lagged partly due to people becoming reluctant to spend due to they may be concerned about losing their jobs. It’s introduced to troubles stemming from a extended downturn in the housing market that has undermined household wealth.
China’s tech industries may be innovative with high productivity, but they may not generate many new jobs, stated Eswar Prasad, a professor of economics and trade policy at Cornell University.
“AI is probable to lift productivity across the board but ought to have a excessive disruptive impact on employment, worsening the employment growth issue and outcomes in a detrimental effect on social stability,” he stated.
Similar to their U.S. rivals, Chinese tech giants have cut or restructured tens of thousands of jobs, partially due to AI. The outlook for the wider jobs market stays uncertain: China’s overall urban unemployment rate hovers round 5%, but unemployment for people aged 16 to 24, except students, is around triple that.
That said, in the longer run, some experts say unemployment rates ought to fall, given that China’s population of 1.4 billion is fast aging and shrinking.
By 2050, China is projected to have fewer than two working-age adults to support each retiree, in comparison with more than 2.5 in the U.S., stated Xuenan Cao, a professor at San Francisco Bay University whose target includes technology and society.
“Automation could partially offset a shrinking workforce instead of being simply a threat to it,” Cao stated.
Some embrace AI to find new methods to make a living
Wang Zhicheng, 32, often used AI for brainstorming and fact-checking in his preceding job as a scriptwriter for a company that produces 3-D animated educational videos and interactive exercise for children.
After its parent company laid off kind of half of its 13 script writers, he chose to resign and work independently, making illustrated children’s books.
While AI sometimes saved time the scripts it generated, they frequently felt strange, Wang said. Episodes tended to be repetitive and formulaic and the level of detail devoted to knowledge varied broadly.
“You can treat AI as a tool just like (Microsoft) Word,” stated Wang, who has begun his own studio making picture books and other innovative works. “Humans are still the decision makers on which one to pick or pursue among all that AI generates.”
High school chemistry teacher Yang Zheng said he doesn’t consider AI as a threat to his job even though students use AI for support with their homework.
“Teachers can’t be there all the time,” he stated. “It is a great thing for students as it generates in real-time so that students can ask follow-up questions,” stated Yang, 29. “It often receives things incorrect, but it improves over time.”
