Outlook Business Desk
To prevent cheating during the high-stakes Gaokao college entrance exams, China has temporarily disabled AI chatbots and related tools across the country. The precautionary ban began on June 7.
Chatbots like Alibaba’s Qwen, Tencent’s Yuanbao, DeepSeek, and Moonshot’s Kimi disabled photo-recognition and real-time Q&A functionalities during exam hours.
Amid rising concerns over misuse, China’s decision to suspend generative AI tools during the Gaokao aims to prevent cheating. While some view it as essential for academic fairness, others fear long-term limits on AI innovation and access in the country.
According to Bloomberg, China’s ban on AI tools covers all local LLM-based models during Gaokao. Chatbots like Alibaba’s Qwen and ByteDance’s Doubao blocked photo analysis of test papers, citing non-compliance with local laws between June 7 and 10.
When users attempted to upload test material, chatbots responded with messages like: “This function is unavailable during the college entrance exam to ensure fairness.”
China’s Gaokao is widely known as the country’s toughest college entrance exam. It plays a critical role in shaping a student’s academic and career future. To stop cheating, the government uses strict rules like blocking mobile signals and using facial recognition technology to keep the exam fair.
As China’s Gaokao wraps up on June 10, over 13.4 million students await results that could define their futures. With competition for spots in 147 top universities, the exam remains one of the most high-pressure academic events in the world.