China’s Parents Are Outsourcing the Homework Grind to A.I.

Chinese parents, including Ms. Li, are increasingly adopting AI chatbots like Doubao to assist their children with homework and reduce academic conflicts across the country, as technology becomes an integral part of modern education. Doubao, developed by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has emerged as China's most popular AI educational tool, offering features that help parents navigate the challenging landscape of child rearing and education. The chatbot's camera function, which parents affectionately call Doubao's 'eyes,' allows users to identify plants, provide information about museum artifacts, and answer questions about their immediate surroundings, creating interactive learning experiences beyond traditional homework assistance. While similar functionality exists in premium versions of Western AI tools like ChatGPT, Doubao's version remains free to users, making advanced educational technology accessible to a broader population in China's competitive academic environment.