China is leading in the application of new digital technologies in education. The market is young, albeit highly competitive, as parents willingly adopt any technological innovation that could help their children, and schools as well, since they are judged on their pupils’ success. To foster such a flourishing, there is a wealth of available data under a loose regulatory framework, growing technical expertise and massive public funding and hands-on support. However, structural barriers for educational technologies do exist, such as the pre-eminence granted to admission exams for students above anything else, or an insufficient critical mass of AI talent and deployment.