How the Public Views Intelligence Education in Vocational Education in China: Topic Modelling and Sentiment Analysis on Bilibili

Abstract

The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies has injected new momentum into the field of vocational education. This study analyses 55,913 standard comments collected from Bilibili between January 2023 and March 2025, using text mining, topic modelling, and sentiment analysis to examine public perceptions of AI in vocational education in China. Public discourse clusters around five thematic categories: technological applications and tools, educational content and competency development, social impacts and employment concerns, application scenarios and practices, and public sentiments and attitudes. Controversies centre on issues such as technological reliability, the boundaries of human-AI collaboration, and the impact on employment. The results show that overall public sentiment toward AI in vocational education is positive, though it exhibits periodic fluctuations. Based on these findings, we propose optimization strategies from four aspects: policy regulation, educational practice, technology development, and ethical governance, to promote the deep integration and sustainable development of AI and vocational education.