Introduction

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly changing labor tools, processes, job structures, and skill requirements, while also reshaping educational content, methods, and environments. The “AI + Education Action Plan” emphasizes the integration of intelligent technology across all educational elements, promoting the unity of knowledge transfer and skill cultivation, as well as technical application and humanistic care. This indicates that, in the face of profound changes in labor forms and ongoing transformations in the educational ecosystem, labor education must proactively respond to the challenges posed by new technologies, new business models, and new scenarios, recalibrating its value positioning and optimizing practical pathways.

Upholding Core Principles in Labor Education

Adhering to the Marxist View of Labor

In the age of AI, labor education must uphold the fundamental stance of the Marxist view of labor. Marxism posits that labor is the basic condition for human existence and the foundation for transforming the objective world, creating social wealth, and driving historical development. Marx’s understanding of labor transcends mere means of acquiring material goods; it is seen as a crucial practice through which humans establish real connections with nature and society, shaping themselves through objective activities. This perspective reveals an undeniable truth: while AI can change the technical forms, organizational methods, and pathways of labor, it cannot alter the foundational position of labor in human development or the essential significance of labor for personal growth. Labor education must firmly stand on this fundamental stance to remain grounded and directed amid rapid technological advancements.

Promoting Comprehensive Human Development

Labor education must also adhere to the value goal of promoting comprehensive human development. Marx and Engels linked education with productive labor as an important means of cultivating well-rounded individuals. This idea underscores that the educational value of labor is not merely about mastering certain operational skills; rather, it involves developing physical and intellectual capabilities, fostering a sense of responsibility and teamwork, and forming correct value judgments and practical abilities. Thus, labor education is not just about skill training or simple task arrangements; it is a vital educational activity aimed at promoting holistic human development. The “Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Strengthening Labor Education in New Era Schools” defines labor education as a crucial component of the socialist education system with Chinese characteristics. Upholding this value goal ensures that labor education remains focused on moral development and maintains its educational function despite ongoing changes in technological conditions.

Grounded in Real Labor Processes

Labor education must maintain its practical character by focusing on real labor processes. Marx, in his “Theses on Feuerbach,” summarized objects, reality, and sensibility as “sensuous human activity,” or practice. He further elaborated on labor as the objectification of human essential powers in his “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844.” Following this theoretical thread, labor is not merely an abstract activity at the conceptual level or a detached symbolic operation; it is a real activity where individuals transform objects, use tools, engage in processes, and form social relationships. This distinct reality, objectivity, and practicality determine the unique value of labor education, which lies in immersing individuals in real tasks, specific contexts, and actual processes. Through physical participation, mental engagement, and objective activities, individuals develop a personal understanding of labor, leading to the generation of abilities, a sense of responsibility, and value recognition. The emphasis on physical labor and hands-on participation in modern labor education stems from this understanding. As the pace of technological iteration accelerates in the AI era, labor education must avoid detaching from reality and remain rooted in genuine labor contexts to preserve its practical character.

Upholding the Subjectivity of Workers

Labor education must also uphold the fundamental position of workers as subjects. Marx’s critique of alienated labor profoundly reminds us that once labor detaches from human subjectivity and becomes merely an external means, it risks deviating from the direction of free and conscious human activity. If schools equate labor education solely with technical training or treat virtual experiences as equivalent to real labor practice, they sever the intrinsic connections between labor and physical participation, object transformation, social collaboration, and personality development. While this approach may seem to align with technological advancements, it actually undermines the depth and richness of labor education.

Innovative Pathways for Labor Education

To innovate labor education in the intelligent era, the focus should not be on merely adding a few technical tools or making superficial adjustments to existing practices. Instead, it should be grounded in the profound changes AI brings to the labor world and educational ecology, addressing major questions such as what kind of laborers to cultivate, what labor world to face, what forces to rely on, and how to implement comprehensive education. As AI deeply alters labor forms, skill structures, and social divisions, labor education must actively respond to these changes, aiming to cultivate a new generation that understands labor value, can rationally navigate intelligent technology, possesses practical skills, and embodies a sense of responsibility and creativity.

Cultivating the Right Kind of Laborers

The primary task of labor education in the AI era is to anchor the value coordinates for cultivating laborers. Labor education should not merely aim to help students adapt to technological changes but should focus on nurturing a respect for labor, a love for creation, and the ability to correctly handle the relationship between humans and machines, as well as the relationship between technology application and social responsibility. Labor education must empower students to enhance their ability to use intelligent technology while guiding them to establish correct labor concepts, develop essential labor skills, foster a positive labor spirit, and cultivate good labor habits and qualities, ultimately helping them grow into socialist builders and successors who love, understand, and excel in labor.

Addressing the Modern Labor World

Labor education must also consider the evolving nature of the modern labor world shaped by AI. It cannot cling to static perceptions of traditional labor forms but must engage with the continuously evolving modern labor landscape within the context of Chinese modernization. On one hand, it should guide students to accurately grasp the changes brought about by new technologies, new business models, and new positions, deeply understanding the crucial role of labor creation in developing new productive forces. On the other hand, students must recognize that modern labor requires not only resilience but also digital literacy, collaborative abilities, rule awareness, and innovative spirit. Only by placing labor education within a real and open labor world can it become more relevant and explanatory.

Collaborating for Effective Labor Education

Labor education is a systematic project that cannot be limited to unilateral efforts by schools; it requires broad collaboration across society. It is essential to leverage the unique advantages of labor unions, which have extensive connections with workers and close ties to frontline industries. Transforming labor models, skilled talents, and grassroots workers into vibrant educational resources, and establishing production lines, service fronts, community governance, and social practices as regular educational platforms is crucial. Only by promoting deep integration and collaborative efforts between school education, industrial development, social practice, and labor groups can labor education truly reflect intellectual depth, practical richness, and educational warmth.

Implementing Comprehensive Labor Education

In the intelligent era, labor education should not remain at the superficial level of conducting a few scattered activities or experiences; it must enhance the overall coordination and effectiveness of integrated education. It should effectively utilize digital technology to strengthen the support, dynamic feedback, and continuous optimization of labor education, integrating it more precisely into curriculum, practical, and evaluation systems, transitioning labor education from sporadic arrangements to a continuous implementation approach. At the same time, technology should only serve as a supporting tool and must never replace the essence of education itself. By adhering to a student-centered approach, grounded in practice and emphasizing collaboration, labor education can truly be implemented in the intelligent era, continually transforming into students’ value recognition, skill enhancement, and spiritual growth.

Conclusion

As AI profoundly shapes labor forms and educational ecology, labor education must firmly uphold its direction through core principles while exploring new avenues for innovation. Looking to the future, labor education must consistently adhere to the Marxist view of labor, safeguarding the foundational values, practical character, and basic stance of labor education while focusing on new technologies, new business models, and new scenarios in the intelligent era. Only by enhancing its ability to respond to changes in the times, serve real development, and promote comprehensive education can labor education guide students to firmly establish their values in respecting labor, hone their skills through participation, and foster comprehensive development through creation, ultimately laying a solid foundation for cultivating a new generation capable of shouldering the responsibilities of national rejuvenation.