China has issued many policies to promote artificial intelligence education in recent years, studying the rules of the diffusion of artificial intelligence education policies among provincial-level governments can provide valuable references for governments at all levels to advance the implementation of these policies. Based on provincial-level government sample data and using event history analysis, this study empirically investigates the spatio-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of the diffusion of AI education policies in China. The findings reveal that the diffusion of AI education policies in China exhibits a "fast initially and then slow" non-gradual characteristic over time, and a pattern of "overall advancement and follow-up diffusion" in space, with a significant proximity effect. In terms of influencing factors, external factors pressure from higher-level governments and pressure from neighboring governments are key drivers of policy adoption by provincial governments. Among internal factors, the age of provincial party secretaries received partial support, indicating that it also influences policy adoption. Based on these findings, four optimization strategies are proposed: giving full play to the synergistic effect of central and local policies, fostering healthy inter-provincial competition and cooperation, strengthening the leadership and support of leading officials, and enhancing research to clarify development pathways. These recommendations aim to provide insights for provincial-level governments in optimizing AI education policies.