Recently, the Founding Conference of the BRICS Youth Education Alliance of Artificial Intelligence was held in Beijing, the capital of China. As a leading enterprise in China’s AI education, YBC was specially invited by the BRICS Strategic Projects International Alliance to become one of the founding members, undertaking overall alliance planning and organizing AI education development exchanges among BRICS countries. This appointment marks the international recognition of China’s practice in youth AI education.
Government representatives, top academics, and industry leaders from BRICS countries, including China, Brazil, Russia, Nigeria, jointly witnessed the launch of the alliance. The establishment of the alliance aims to implement the BRICS leaders’ initiative to expand educational cooperation, using AI education as an entry point to promote in-depth collaboration in the field of emerging technology education. Participants at the meeting agreed that strengthening youth AI education cooperation is of great significance for cultivating future technological talents and bridging the digital divide.
YBC’s appointment follows its years of commitment to youth AI education. Founded in 2017, YBC has trained more than 8 million students across China, with its campus-based programs covering more than 4,500 schools in 30 provinces. The company has also developed a programming creation platform with 39 proprietary intellectual property rights and launched a large language model tailored for education with 70 billion parameters to support teaching.
The “4C Education System,” pioneered by YBC, is a significant reflection of its core competitiveness, which focuses on developing students’ abilities in four areas: underlying cognition, composite thinking,self-efficacy, and cross-disciplinary integration. The framework outlines a pathway from cognitive development to competence-building. The concept has gained recognition in China, and several courses have been selected as case studies for UNICEF’s “AI for Children” initiative. For years, YBC has consistently participated in international educational exchange activities, sharing its practical achievements in youth AI education at various international forums and accumulating extensive experience in international cooperation.
At the ceremony, YBC founder Li Yi, and also the alliance’s first rotating chair, outlined the organization’s mission: “Using technology as a bridge to promote cross-cultural exchanges among young people in BRICS countries, build an educational ecosystem for youth cognitive development in the AI era, and foster future creators for the age of artificial intelligence.” To support this goal, Li announced several initiatives, including establishing a “BRICS AI Education Future Center” in Beijing as a base for exchanges and research; launching a“YEA BRICS AI Forum” as a regular platform for dialogue; starting a “One Million Class Hours Donation Program” to help expand AI education across BRICS countries; and jointly developing a “BRICS AI Education System” adapted to different national contexts，exploring replicable educational models.
To ensure efficient transnational cooperation, the Alliance Secretariat will be permanently stationed at the headquarters of YBC in Beijing, responsible for daily operations and project implementation. A committee comprising representatives from member countries will also be established to facilitate ongoing international collaboration. This mechanism design fully takes into account the diverse cultural backgrounds of BRICS countries and strives to achieve resource sharing on the basis of respecting national conditions.
Mikhail Borisov, chairman of the BRICS Strategic Projects International Alliance, hailed the alliance as a strategic initiative to build a shared future. He noted the organization plans to bring together global educational resources and cultivate talent across BRICS countries through activities such as competitions, summer camps, and teacher training programs. He also expressed confidence in YBC’s ability to help advance the alliance’s work.
The launch of the alliance marks anpractical steptoward the institutionalization of education cooperation among BRICS countries and reflects growing international engagement of China’s AI education sector. As a founding member, YBC will contribute ideas such as its “4C education framework” to international collaboration efforts, andoffer a “Chinese solution” to BRICS nations.The company is expected to provide educational resources while also supporting the development of AI education systems and international partnerships. With the alliance now formally established, YBC and its BRICS partners plan will advance cooperation across areas including joint curriculum development, teacher training, academic exchange, and youth engagement. The alliance also aims to expand its initiatives to other regions in the future, contributing to a more open and inclusive global AI education landscape. As the first rotating coordinator, YBC will YBC will fully leverage its professional strengths and rely on the BRICS platform to advance the development of AI literacy among youths worldwide, and contribute to nurturing future innovators.
