Ms Zhang added that offerings in the sector have grown in recent years and become increasingly popular with many children.
“Earlier on, (the industry) was rather messy. At the time, organisations promoting their classes were not very professional, because they … originally taught English or other courses, and were not specialised,” said Ms Zhang.
China has moved to introduce AI into primary and secondary school curricula and seen more colleges rolling out AI-related majors.
Private firms and education institutions in China are also collaborating.
Mr Zeng Pengxuan, founder and chief executive officer of Walnut Education, which offers AI and coding courses to children, said that half a decade ago, parents still viewed programming as something just for college students.
However, the wide use of AI in everyday life has increased awareness of the industry and helped change perceptions, he said.