Computer programmer Fei Zhaojun's boss asked him whether artificial intelligence could soon replace humans in coding jobs. Two weeks later, Fei was laid off from his job in Beijing along with about 160 colleagues.
The scenario is becoming common as AI reshapes China's job market, backed by government policies that encourage adoption across industries. Some economists worry the trend could weaken the world's second-largest economy. China is at the forefront of AI adoption, with policies pushing applications and robotics into daily life, leaving workers like Fei to adapt.
"There appears to be far less anti-AI sentiment in China (than elsewhere). Most people seem either positive, neutral, or mildly interested in AI," said Shujing He, a Beijing-based senior analyst at the advisory and research firm Plenum.
"Individuals who worry about being replaced, as well as those who have already left traditional workplaces, are often eager to experiment with AI-enabled businesses and independent ventures," she said. "The level of interest is striking."
Coders and translators face the first wave
Fei, 40, had doubted AI could handle programming work perfectly, even though his bosses judged it close enough. "Mid-level coders' job are essentially replaceable in most of the cases," he said. "Even if it is a disaster that leads to replacing all humans, at this stage, you have to use it as everyone else is using it."
He now makes vlog-style short videos during a career break while deciding what to do next. He isn't yet earning a living from his videos about ordinary people's lives, but hopes they might help others.
Du Qinchun, a part-time translator in Chengdu, has been helping train an AI model to do translations. That brought him more work, at least temporarily. "But it's true that the pay in the industry has been cut by more than half compared to what it was years ago," he said.
The shift is visible in education. Popular college programs in foreign languages have fallen out of favor as AI translation tools spread. The share of Chinese industrial enterprises using AI models and "agents" jumped to 47.5% last year from 9.6% in 2024, according to market intelligence firm IDC.
"China's vibrant open-source model ecosystem fosters greater AI application innovation in industrial settings, gradually closing the gap between foundational model capabilities and real-world enterprise value creation," said Yanze Du, an IDC senior research manager in Beijing.
For workers facing displacement, upskilling has become a practical response. AI automation courses offer one path for those looking to build new skills. Similarly, AI coding courses can help programmers adapt their expertise to work alongside AI tools rather than compete with them.
Robots and generative AI move into more jobs
Humanoid robots can now sort parcels in postal centers, though on a small scale. They are also taking on tasks such as directing traffic and making coffee. Food delivery robots are gaining ground across the country, potentially threatening the livelihoods of millions of Chinese delivery workers.
Generative AI is increasingly used for creation, production, and distribution in China's short drama industry. The number of live-action short and vertical video series designed for mobile phones fell about 75% in the first quarter of this year from a year earlier, according to Chinese media reports.
"Tasks that once required specialized training can now be performed by almost anyone with access to AI tools," said Plenum's Shujing He. "This is particularly evident in software development and multimedia creation. As a result, workers whose roles are narrowly concentrated in these areas may face greater risks of job displacement."
A report from the International Labor Organization found that women face higher risks of losing employment due to AI than men. Women tend to work in areas more suitable for automation, such as assembling electronics, and remain underrepresented in science and technology.
AI's mixed effect on China's slowing economy
Under China's "AI Plus" initiative and its five-year plan through 2030, the government is pushing to infuse AI across many industries. The goal is economic growth and maintaining an edge in a technology rivalry with the U.S.
"What is specific to China, is that government is really into diffusing AI across the economy, so AI may get into different domains more quickly compared to other countries," said Zilan Qian, a research associate at Oxford China Policy Lab.
China's economic growth has already been slowing. A prolonged downturn in the housing market has undermined household wealth, while consumer spending lags as people worry about losing jobs.
China's tech sector may be innovative with high productivity, but it may not generate many new jobs, said Eswar Prasad, a professor of economics and trade policy at Cornell University.
"AI is likely to lift productivity across the board, but could have a severe disruptive effect on employment, worsening the employment problem growth and potentially destabilizing social stability," he said.
Chinese tech giants have cut or restructured tens of thousands of jobs, similar to their U.S. rivals. The national urban unemployment rate hovers at around 5%, but for people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, it is roughly triple that level.
Over the longer run, some experts say unemployment levels could rise as the population of 1.4 billion ages and shrinks. Projections show that by 2050 there will be fewer than two working-age adults per retiree.
"Automation could partially offset a shrinking workforce burden rather than just posing a threat," said Xuenan Cao, a professor at SFO Bay University who focuses on technology and society.
Some workers embrace AI to find new paths
Wang Zhicheng, 32, used AI for brainstorming and fact-checking in his prior job as a scriptwriter for a company making 3D animated educational videos for children. After the parent company laid off around half of its 13 writers, he chose to resign and work independently, making children's ebooks.
AI sometimes saved time, but the scripts often felt off, Wang said. Episodes tended to be repetitive and formulaic, with fluctuating quality. "You can treat AI as a tool just like Word," said Wang, who is now building a studio focused on picture books. "Humans are still the decision makers on which to pick or pursue among all that AI generates."
Yang Zheng, a 29-year-old high school chemistry teacher, does not regard AI as a threat to his job, despite students using it for homework assistance. "Teachers cannot be involved all the time. It generates a real-time response, so students can ask them follow-up questions. It often gets them wrong, but it improves over time," said Yang.
Why this matters for working professionals
The experiences of Chinese workers offer a preview of what broader AI adoption can look like. Jobs that involve repetitive tasks - coding, translation, scriptwriting, delivery - face the most immediate pressure. The pattern is not limited to China, and workers in similar roles elsewhere should expect comparable shifts.
The practical response is to treat AI as a tool rather than a replacement. Workers who learn to use AI in their daily tasks, and who build skills that AI cannot easily replicate, are better positioned to adapt. The workers in this story who fared best were those who combined AI use with judgment and creativity - deciding which AI output to pursue, or using it to speed up parts of their work while focusing on higher-level decisions.
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