China teen with zero programming skills earns US$2,600 in 3 days selling AI study app

A 13-year-old girl in China has earned 18,000 yuan (US$2,600) in just three days from an Artificial Intelligence (AI) product she developed to assist parents in supervising their children’s study habits.Zhu Shuhan, a Grade Two student at a junior secondary school in Shanghai, has no programming background. She began using AI only last year, as reported by the Shanghai-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="137361" data-entity-type="organization">Shanghai Morning Post.At a national AI product marketing competition held in Hangzhou from August 21 to August 23, Shuhan secured the third prize of 5,000 yuan, competing against over 50 participants.Competing against over 50 participants, Shuhan secured third prize and a 5,000-yuan cash reward at a national AI product marketing competition held in Hangzhou from August 21 to 23. Photo: ce.cnThe contest did not include technical judges; instead, winners were selected based on their AI-generated apps’ income during the three-day period.The app Shuhan created, called Zai Chang (translated as On Site in English), garnered 90 orders, resulting in total sales of 18,000 yuan, which helped her attain third place in the competition.Once a parent uploads a photo of themselves using the app, the system assumes the role of a virtual parent, supervising their child while they complete homework.Should the camera detect that the child is playing on a mobile device or leaving their seat, the virtual parent displayed on the screen will issue a voice reminder.Upon completion of the homework, the app generates a “concentration report.”Shuhan shared that her inspiration for this app came from her own experiences.“My parents were so busy that they did not have time to accompany me while I studied. I often found myself distracted and discreetly using my phone while doing homework,” she stated. “Many of my classmates face similar challenges with self-discipline. I wanted to create a digital parent clone.”Shuhan shows how her AI-powered student supervision app works. Photo: ce.cnDespite her limited knowledge of programming, Shuhan’s understanding of AI began just last year.To create the app, she simply “told” the large language model (LLM) her idea in her own words, after which AI assisted her in generating the code.From designing to implementing the core functionalities, the entire process took her only three to four days. She consulted AI programming tools regarding specific technical issues.Notably, she removed a feature labelled “mother getting angry” from the app’s initial design, which aimed to alert parents to frequent distractions.“I dislike whistle-blowers. I want my app to be gentle and allow room for improvement for children,” she explained.Further Reading“From this app development experience, I realised that as long as you have a good idea, AI can bring it to life,” she emphasised.An advanced AI assistant powered by LLMs, big data, and machine learning, leveraging prompt engineering and agentic AI architectures for business applications. Photo: ShutterstockHer younger brother, a Primary One pupil, is one of her first users.“After being monitored by this app, my brother studies more diligently,” she remarked.She expressed her intention to market the app to a broader audience at a lower price.“If many people are willing to pay for this app, I will continue developing it,” she said.Online users have praised Shuhan, with one stating: “She is incredible with a creative idea and the ability to leverage AI.”“What business acumen she has! Her app precisely meets parents’ demands,” noted another commenter.