13-Year-Old Creates AI Study App, Earns Rs 2.5 Lakh in 3 Days at National Competition

Teen girl turns study problem into AI app for busy parents, earns Rs 2.5 lakh in 3 days

A 13-year-old Shanghai student has turned a common study problem into an AI product that generated 18,000 yuan (Rs 2,600) from 90 orders in three days. Zhu Shuhan, who has no programming background, built the app with AI assistance in three to four days and won third prize at a national competition in Hangzhou, where more than 50 participants competed. A 13-year-old student in Shanghai has turned an everyday study problem into a paid AI product, generating 18,000 yuan (Rs 2.55lakh) from 90 orders in just three days. Zhu Shuhan, a Grade Two student at a junior secondary school, developed the app despite having no programming background and secured third place in a national AI product marketing competition held in Hangzhou from August 21 to 23, according to the SCMP. The result was achieved through a competition that judged participants not by technical expertise but by how much revenue their AI-generated products earned during the three-day event. Shuhan's sales placed her third among more than 50 participants, while she also received 5,000 yuan (Rs 70K) in prize money. A student builds a digital study supervisorShuhan's product, Zai Chang, translated as "On Site", is designed to help parents keep track of how their children behave during study sessions. The app allows a parent to upload a photograph of themselves, after which the system creates a virtual parent who appears on screen while the child studies. A camera monitors the session and, when the child starts using a mobile phone or leaves their seat, the virtual parent gives a voice reminder. After the homework session ends, the application creates a "concentration report" based on the child's study period. Her own distractions led to the ideaThe concept came from Shuhan's personal experiences with studying, she said. Her parents were often busy and did not have enough time to sit with her while she completed homework. Without someone around, she said, she sometimes found herself getting distracted and secretly using her phone. "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 said. Shuhan said she noticed that self-discipline was also a challenge for several classmates. That prompted her to think about creating a digital version of a parent who could stay present during study hours. "Many of my classmates face similar challenges with self-discipline. I wanted to create a digital parent clone," she said. She had no coding backgroundShuhan began using AI only last year and did not have formal programming experience when she started building the product. Instead of writing the application from scratch herself, she described the idea to a large language model in her own words and used the generated code to put the concept together. When she encountered technical problems, she consulted AI-powered programming tools for help. From the initial idea to the implementation of the app's core functions, the project took her around three to four days. Why she removed the 'mother getting angry' functionThe original concept included a feature labelled "mother getting angry", which was meant to alert parents when a child repeatedly became distracted. Shuhan eventually took the feature out because she did not want the app to operate mainly through punishment or constant reporting. "I dislike whistle-blowers. I want my app to be gentle and allow room for improvement for children," she explained. The project also changed her understanding of what AI can make possible for people without traditional technical skills. "From this app development experience, I realised that as long as you have a good idea, AI can bring it to life," she said. Her younger brother is among the first usersShuhan's younger brother, a Primary One student, is already using the app. She said the monitoring system has helped him become more disciplined while studying. "After being monitored by this app, my brother studies more diligently," she said. Shuhan now wants to take the product beyond the competition and make it available to more users. She said she would consider continuing development and offering the app at a lower price if more people were willing to pay for it. "If many people are willing to pay for this app, I will continue developing it," she said. 90 orders help her finish thirdThe 18,000 yuan(Rs 2.55 lakh) in sales came from 90 orders during the three-day competition. The event was designed around the commercial performance of AI-generated applications rather than technical assessments, allowing Shuhan's product to compete on the basis of actual customer demand. Her result earned her third place among more than 50 participants and a separate 5,000-yuan prize. Online users praise her ideaShuhan's project also drew praise from online users, who highlighted both the originality of the idea and her ability to use AI to turn it into a working product. "She is incredible with a creative idea and the ability to leverage AI," one commenter wrote. Another praised her understanding of what parents might want from such a product, saying, "What business acumen she has! Her app precisely meets parents' demands." The project has given Shuhan an unusual early experience of taking an idea from a personal problem to an AI-built product that attracted paying users within days.

13-Year-Old Builds AI Study App, Earns Rs. 2.5 Lakh in 3 Days

A 13-year-old Shanghai student earned Rs. 2.5 lakh in three days through an AI study app. Zhu Shuhan created Zai Chang without formal coding skills. She sold the app during a national AI product marketing competition in Hangzhou. The event ran from August 21 to 23, 2026, with over 50 participants. Zhu generated 18,000 yuan from 90 orders during the competition. Her AI app earned third place and also secured a 5,000-yuan prize. The competition ranked products through customer revenue rather than technical judging. The AI study app worked as a virtual parent during children's homework sessions. Parents uploaded a photograph, which helped create a digital version for study supervision. The app used a device camera to identify distractions during study sessions. It detected phone use or movement away from the study seat. A virtual parent then delivered voice reminders to regain focus. The study assistant also generated a concentration report after each completed session. The feature gave parents a simple view of a child's study behavior. Zhu developed the core functions within three to four days using AI assistance. She described her requirements to a large language model, which helped generate the required code. The idea came from Zhu's own difficulty staying focused while studying alone. Her parents often remained busy, which left her searching for better study discipline. "My parents were so busy that they did not have time to accompany me," Zhu said. Zhu also wanted the AI study app to remain supportive rather than punitive. She said, "AI can bring it to life" when a strong idea existed. Her younger brother later became one of the app's early users. Zhu said the system helped him study more diligently. The story showed how AI tools had lowered barriers for young people building useful digital products.