A 13-year-old schoolgirl from China created a unique app. Zhu Shuhan from Shanghai developed a service called Zai Chang. The program monitors homework completion using artificial intelligence. The project generated significant revenue in just three days. The schoolgirl received 86 orders totaling more than $2,700. This was reported by local Chinese media outlets. The service uses the camera of the user's computer or smartphone. The system detects the moment a child becomes distracted from studying.
The app registers when a child leaves their workspace or picks up their phone. A special virtual parent then appears on the screen. The digital character reminds the child to return to their studies. The system generates a detailed concentration report after each session. To create the character, users simply need to upload a photo of a parent. The camera periodically takes snapshots and sends them to the cloud. The images are processed through recognition and then permanently deleted. No continuous video recording takes place within the app. The schoolgirl's younger brother was the first to test it.
The idea for the project came from personal experience. Zhu Shuhan's parents work very long hours. The girl often has to do her homework entirely on her own. She admitted to frequently getting distracted by her mobile phone. The schoolgirl also surveyed her classmates. Many of them said they faced exactly the same problem. Initially, the service displayed an angry mother on the screen and sent parents notifications about their child's distractions. The schoolgirl later removed those features entirely.
She doesn't like tattling and wants to give children their own space. Zhu Shuhan was introduced to artificial intelligence a year ago. She studied the new technology entirely on her own, using educational websites and available online tools. Whenever she had questions she couldn't answer, she turned to a specialized chatbot. The girl has virtually no traditional programming skills. She described tasks to a large language model in plain language, and the AI built the logic and generated the code. The schoolgirl tested the features and fixed bugs on her own.
Zhu Shuhan presented Zai Chang at the Markethon competition. The event was held in Hangzhou from August 21 to 23. Fifty-nine teams took part in the competition, with results determined by actual product sales. The schoolgirl completed a working version of the service just one day before the event. The project earned an honorable third place at the competition. Annual access to the service was sold for $15, while a lifetime subscription cost around $30. The girl received $740 in prize money. Her mother helped promote the product through social media. Zhu Shuhan continues to actively develop the service.