"Sixteen Majors Including Translation and Video Editing Abolished"... Rising AI Replacement Concerns in China

Chinese Media Universities Abolish 16 Majors Due to AI Advancements
"Educational Transformation Is Imminent... School Curricula Must Be Restructured"
"Authorities Phase Out Majors Misaligned with New Technologies"

The fact that 16 majors, including translation and filming, have been abolished at media-related universities in China due to the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has become a hot topic.

At a job fair held in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province, eastern China, job seekers are seen examining job postings. This photo is for article illustration purposes. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

On March 10, Yonhap News cited Chinese media outlets such as CCTV and Xinjingbao, reporting that "Liao Xiangzhong, Party Secretary of the Communication University of China and member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), stated in an interview during the Two Sessions that 'last year, 16 undergraduate majors, including translation and filming, were abolished at once.'" The Communication University of China is a media-focused educational institution directly under the Ministry of Education.

He reportedly said, "The future will be an era where humans and robots divide work, and educational transformation is imminent," adding, "School curricula must be thoroughly restructured." Accordingly, the university has introduced new majors such as "Digital Media Arts" and "AI Audiovisual Creation" in response to AI advancements. Xinjingbao explained, "This change is only the tip of the iceberg," and noted, "The Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities are focusing on phasing out majors that do not align with new technological and managerial trends."

In 2023, China's Ministry of Education required that around 20% of academic majors be optimized or adjusted by 2025. As of 2024, changes in undergraduate majors across universities nationwide show 1,428 majors abolished, 2,220 majors with suspended admissions, and 1,839 newly added majors. A significant portion of the abolished majors are reported to be fields that can be easily replaced by AI.

Xinjingbao pointed out, "As of last year, the accuracy rate of AI translation reached 98.3%," and added, "Results of translating contracts and manuals with AI are so accurate that there's no need for further human intervention, making it difficult for traditional translation majors to justify their independent value." The outlet also stated, "In the video media sector, AI is already replacing jobs in basic filming, editing, subtitles, and dubbing," and argued, "If universities stick to existing approaches, students may find themselves unemployed as soon as they graduate."

A part of the video created with ByteDance's AI video generation model 'SynthDance 2.0.' Weibo

In fact, last month, the release of ByteDance's new video generation AI model "SynthDance" in China sent shockwaves through the film and video industry, including Hollywood in the United States. High-quality videos can now be produced with just a single photo and a few lines of prompts, bringing copyright controversies and the issue of workforce replacement in the industry to public attention.

At the time, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) of America demanded that ByteDance immediately stop its large-scale unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works, citing copyright infringement. Disney also sent a cease-and-desist letter regarding the use of its content, and Paramount has taken legal action, citing instances where its characters were similarly generated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.