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Zoey Zhang

A 13-year-old boy from eastern China has garnered significant attention online for his ability to leverage artificial intelligence and programming to solve everyday challenges.
Yang Xizhe, a junior secondary school student from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, stands at an impressive 1.9 metres tall and has amassed a following of over 500,000 on mainland social media platforms.
Growing up in a city celebrated for its vibrant technology ecosystem, he identifies as an “AI native.” Yang believes that for his generation, AI is becoming as vital as air and water.
In February last year, he gained recognition when a video demonstrating his use of AI to memorise English vocabulary attracted 20 million views.
He uploaded a photo of the vocabulary list to Doubao and created prompts to guide the chatbot in generating engaging stories and personalised exercises based on the words.

Yang’s AI-driven learning strategy resonated with parents and educators. Some viewers noted that the video had inspired greater interest in learning among their children, while a teacher expressed the desire to incorporate his approach into their first lesson of the new school term.
This year, he transitioned from online learning to hands-on innovation by taking part in several hackathons – time-limited programming competitions where teams collaborate to create software projects.
His first project was an AI-powered vision system designed to assist visually impaired individuals in applying make-up. This product secured first place at the Moonshot 48 Hackathon.
Later, he took part in HackMIT China 2026, where his team was awarded the Best Pitch Award and secured second place in their category.
Their project, a smart lunchbox equipped with AI vision and sensors, provides personalised dietary suggestions based on users’ profiles and meals while enabling parents to monitor their children’s eating habits at school.
In April, Yang formed a team with an average age of 13 to compete in RedNote’s hackathon championship. His team developed an AI-powered diagnostic and optimisation tool for original content creators, which earned a special award and attracted a purchase offer of 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) from a company.

In a speech, Yang reflected on how his passion for programming began in Primary Two. After playing The Legend of Zelda, he became captivated by the idea of creating his own game.
Following his father’s advice, he began to teach himself the visual programming platform Scratch, subsequently advancing to C++ and vibe coding.
According to Dushi Express, neither of Yang’s parents have a formal technology background, but they have actively educated themselves about AI to keep pace with their son’s interests.
As Yang’s profile has risen, some Chinese technology influencers have referred to him as a “young genius” and “a future Elon Musk.” Nevertheless, Yang and his parents have reportedly approached such labels and accolades with modesty.

Yang has also established personal guidelines to balance schoolwork and AI exploration, with the aim of maintaining above-average grades while dedicating three hours each day to programming.
Looking to the future, he aspires to pursue a career as a programmer or AI researcher.
“If possible, I hope to make even a small difference in the world,” he shared with the media.
One online observer remarked: “In the future, Yang could become the kind of employee every company desires, with a decade of programming experience by the age of 23.”
“I hope that someone like Yang, with his curiosity and determination to learn, will evolve into an entrepreneur who makes a significant impact on the world,” another added.


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Hailed as the “future Elon Musk,” a 1.9-metre-tall 13-year-old from Hangzhou with 500,000 followers is building AI tools for everyday challenges. Photo: 163.com

Raised in Hangzhou, a major tech hub, this self-proclaimed “AI native” believes artificial intelligence is becoming as vital to his generation as air and water. Photo: 163.com

In April, Yang, second from left, and his young AI team won a special award at RedNote’s hackathon for their creator optimisation tool. Photo: 163.com

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News

People & Culture

China Personalities

Looking ahead, Yang is driven to become a programmer or AI researcher, determined to leave his own mark on the world


Looking ahead, Yang is driven to become a programmer or AI researcher, determined to leave his own mark on the world.


Elon Musk

Artificial intelligence (AI)

China’s ‘future Elon Musk’ solves daily problems with AI; vocabulary method draws 20 million views

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Looking ahead, Yang is driven to become a programmer or AI researcher, determined to leave his own mark on the world

Looking ahead, Yang is driven to become a programmer or AI researcher, determined to leave his own mark on the world