Zhihu's Zhixue Academy Officially Operates Independently: How Will AI Large Models Reshape Vocational Education?
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On January 11th, Zhou Yuan, founder and CEO of Zhihu, mentioned that a mentor once told him, "All human problems can be traced back to education." This planted the seed of education in his heart.
In 2019, Zhihu began exploring vocational education, launching the Zhihu Zhixue Academy brand and app by the end of 2022. On January 11, 2024, Zhihu Zhixue Academy officially started operating independently.
From Zhou Yuan's perspective, the community and education sectors are interconnected and share a common vision. "Vocational education completes the other half of Zhihu's entrepreneurial vision, forming its 'complete form.'"
So, how will Zhihu, which originated as a community platform, approach vocational education?
Vocational education has become Zhihu's second growth curve The education industry has many segments, and Zhihu has chosen vocational education. Zhou Yuan, the founder, believes vocational education is an industry that can be reshaped. On one hand, there is significant information asymmetry in the sector, and on the other, the industry suffers from low efficiency and poor learning experiences, reflecting its low level of digitalization. Additionally, the wave of large AI models emerging in 2023 has created new opportunities for the transformation of vocational education.
Over its 13-year journey, Zhihu has consistently focused on helping users realize their professional value. In its four years of exploring vocational education, the company has reaffirmed that learning is a pathway to enhancing professional value and achieving a better future. The community and education sectors are interconnected and share a common vision. "Vocational education completes the other half of Zhihu's entrepreneurial vision, forming its 'complete form,'" Zhou Yuan said.
In July 2023, at the Zhihu New Knowledge Youth Conference, vocational education was officially designated as Zhihu's second growth curve. The latest financial report shows that in Q3 2023, Zhihu's vocational education revenue reached 145 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 85.6%, accounting for 14% of total revenue.
Over the past four years in vocational education, Zhihu has built its business framework through joint operations, self-operated programs, and external investments. To date, Zhihu's education platform, Zhihu Zhixuetang, has integrated six sub-brands: Pinzhi Education, Papa Education, MBA Master, Yiqi Gongkao, Yiqi Kao Jiaoshi, and AGI Classroom, covering career tracks such as CFA, postgraduate entrance exams, MBA, civil service exams, teacher qualifications, and AGI. These platforms have served over 20 million learners. Zhang Rongle, Senior Vice President of Zhihu and CEO of Zhihu Zhi Xue Tang, revealed that by the end of 2023, vocational education-related content on Zhihu had garnered over 10 billion views.
In Zhang Rongle's view, the vocational education industry is at a critical juncture of transformation, with digitalization and platformization becoming two major trends. AI models will reshape the vocational education industry.
How will AI models reshape vocational education?
Zhihu Zhi Xue Tang has identified two core strategies for the future: first, improving the vocational education service system and delivery standards through digital empowerment; second, promoting high-quality employment in vocational education through open learning and the integration of industry and education.
It is reported that Zhihu is collaborating with Mianbi Intelligence to advance the application of cutting-edge technologies such as the "Zhihai Tu AI" model and AI Agents in vocational education scenarios. Among these efforts, Zhihu Zhi Xue Tang has started exploring the digitalization and AI integration of the entire process—from career selection and exam preparation to homework grading—based on user needs in core categories like certification exams. Zhihu revealed that within the next 1-2 years, its education platform Zhixuetang will strive to achieve comprehensive integration of AI large models across all aspects of vocational education, aiming to enhance teaching capabilities, information acquisition, and operational efficiency.
However, Zhang Rongle stated in media interviews that implementing AI large models in vocational education still faces significant challenges, with the industry being in the early stages of technological transformation.
He also emphasized that future vocational education must be closely integrated with offline operations. Currently, Zhihu's vocational education initiatives haven't extensively entered the offline market and remain in the exploratory phase.
Notably, within Zhihu's ecosystem, the platform collaborates with paid content reading and content marketing services to create new career and income opportunities for professionals. Zhixuetang has already established strategic partnerships with vocational institutions including Changzhou Textile and Garment Vocational Technical College and Yunnan Hanwen Education Group.
The news of Zhixuetang's independent operation positively impacted Zhihu's stock performance. As of January 11 closing, Zhihu's Hong Kong shares rose 3.4% to HK$13.38, while its U.S. shares increased by 1.51%.