English majors at Chinese universities face uncertain future as AI replaces basic skills

Shop owners follow a teacher's instructions during an English-language morning practice session at Yiwu International Trade City, Zhejiang province. SHI KUANBING/FOR CHINA DAILY

BEIJING: Once boasting abundant opportunities to land promising careers, foreign language majors are now confronting profound change as artificial intelligence (AI) disrupts traditional career paths and universities implement sweeping reforms.

In 2023, the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, Anhui province, was among the first top-tier universities in China to discontinue its English major.