Chinese universities are cutting language majors to make way for AI

Universities across China are eliminating translation and foreign language programs in favor of degrees in AI, robotics, and embodied intelligence, reflecting a state-directed reorientation of higher education toward technological priorities. The shift raises questions about what is lost when humanities disciplines are treated as obsolete rather than complementary—particularly in an era when AI systems themselves struggle with cultural nuance and context. This structural change in Chinese education is likely to shape the next generation of AI researchers and practitioners in ways that will be felt well beyond China's borders.