SHANGHAI, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII9) conference was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 27 to 30, 2025, under the theme “The Key to Prosperity: Unlocking New Frontiers of Growth”. The global investment event brought together more than 8,000 political, business, and industry leaders from around the world. Distinguished attendees included former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, and ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood. The conference focused on key topics such as artificial intelligence, the evolving geopolitics of the global economy, and the transformation of human capital. Over the years, the event has drawn an array of prominent figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute Co-Director Fei-Fei Li, SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon.
At this high-level dialogue shaping the future of global growth, Derek Haoyang Li, Founder and Chairman of Squirrel Ai Learning, attended as the sole representative of China’s education technology sector. He joined Omar Abbosh, CEO of Pearson, and Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS (the organization behind TOEFL and GRE), to discuss the future landscape of the education industry. From both a technological and pedagogical perspective, Li shared China’s insights and practical solutions for using AI to drive educational transformation at global scale.
A New Paradigm for AI-Powered Education: From “Standardized” to “Personalized” Lifelong Learning
As automation reshapes the global labor market, traditional education models are increasingly unable to meet the demands of the new era. During the discussion, Haoyang Li cited a McKinsey projection indicating that by 2030, nearly one-third of jobs worldwide could be replaced by automation technologies. Yet, he noted, today’s education systems remain rooted in an industrial-age mindset, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to such a profound transformation.
“We are still using yesterday’s methods to prepare today’s children for tomorrow’s challenges,” said Li. “Education should no longer be a standardized process—it should evolve into a personalized growth service that accompanies learners throughout their lives.”
To address this challenge, Li proposed an AI-driven approach centered on building an intelligent education ecosystem that supports lifelong learning for all. Using the Squirrel Ai intelligent adaptive learning system as an example, he highlighted how the platform continuously assesses each student’s mastery of knowledge to design the most effective personalized learning path, streamlining the learning process and significantly improving efficiency. Powered by Squirrel Ai’s adaptive learning engine, students can overcome the limitations of time and space to engage in efficient, self-directed learning anytime, anywhere. This model offers a practical pathway for realizing personalized education at scale, turning the vision of teaching according to individual aptitude into reality.
“This is not merely a technological upgrade, it represents a fundamental shift in educational philosophy,” Li emphasized. “AI transforms education from a standardized model—with uniform textbooks and fixed pacing—into a personalized service that tailors learning strategies to each individual. It also lays the foundation for cultivating future talent capable of continuous, lifelong learning.”
From Degrees to Competencies: Making AI the New Measure of Talent Value
Having addressed the fundamental question of how to learn, Li went on to note that in today’s world—where career paths are increasingly diverse and job roles evolve at an accelerating pace—a university diploma alone is no longer a true reflection of an individual’s capacity for continuous growth.
He emphasized the need for a broad societal shift from academic credentials to practical capabilities, and noted that AI technology is driving this fundamental transformation. By developing intelligent assessment systems, AI can objectively evaluate and quantify an individual’s real-world competencies—such as problem-solving, logical reasoning, and collaboration—creating a more credible “competency-based credential” that better reflects true ability.
This dynamic and continuously updated record of capabilities not only provides employers with a more accurate and reliable reference for talent selection but also generates a clearer “personal capability profile” for every worker. On one hand, it enables individual growth to be visible and recognized; on the other, it lays the technological foundation for a future-oriented national skills certification system—one that inspires lifelong learning and drives the transformation of the entire human resources ecosystem.
The appearance and remarks of Haoyang Li at FII9 underscored the growing global influence and innovative capacity of China’s education technology sector. His insights not only captured the evolving landscape of global human capital but also transformed China’s practical achievements in AI-driven education into solutions with broad international impact. As technology and education continue to converge, Squirrel Ai’s initiatives extend well beyond the mere application of technology. The company has emerged as a leading force in promoting global educational equity and unlocking human potential, contributing China’s distinctive wisdom and technological strength to the creation of a more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable global education system.
SOURCE Squirrel Ai Learning
