<scp>Children's Conceptions of AI</scp> , Ethics and Intelligence in China: Evidence from Drawing and Ranking Activities

Abstract As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in the daily lives of young learners, there is growing interest in exploring how they conceptualize AI prior to formal instruction. This qualitative study investigates the pre‐instructional conceptions of key AI concepts held by upper elementary students ( n = 75), focusing on five aspects: AI representation, functionality, working mechanisms, ethical considerations and the concept of intelligence. Data were collected through an integrated, multimodal approach, including student drawings, a ranking activity, and both individual and collaborative interviews. Findings reveal a wide range of student preconceptions across all five aspects, reflecting the complexity and diversity of their thinking. In particular, we introduce an ‘XY‐axis’ framework to map student conceptions of AI functionality, distinguishing between engagement versus utility and creative/adaptive versus repetitive/routine tasks. Regarding intelligence, student views ranged from a naturalist view that values autonomy and independence from human inputs to a technicist orientation that emphasizes technical complexity and multifunctionality. On ethical issues, students generally expressed positive attitudes towards AI, often focusing on its benefits and conveniences—likely shaped by prevailing social and policy discourses in China. These findings underscore the importance of addressing student misconceptions through a conceptual change lens and designing age‐appropriate, culturally relevant pedagogies that build on learners' existing ideas while guiding them towards scientifically grounded understandings of AI.