Chinese AI companies shut down chatbots during China’s annual “Gaokao” college entrance exams

China’s AI companies Alibaba, ByteDance, DeepSeek, Tencent, and Moonshot suspended their chatbot services during the country’s university entrance exams from June 7 to 10. Alibaba’s Qwen and Tencent’s Yuanbao also disabled image recognition functionalities during exam hours. 

In addition to the measures taken by private AI companies, Chinese authorities also implemented a set of methods to prevent cheating attempts. These include biometric verifications, signal jamming, strict filtering of digital devices, and video surveillance to detect abnormal behavior during exams. 

Data released by the Chinese Ministry of Education (MoE) also confirmed the number of candidates for this year’s Gaokao is roughly 13.35M, ~70K fewer than last year. The Gaokao consists of three compulsory subjects, including Chinese, Math, and English, with exam questions set by the MoE. 

AI chatbots refuse to answer questions during exam hours

6月8日，接连有网友投稿称，国内的诸多AI在高考期间都暂停了服务，有学生让AI解读代码，遭到AI以“高考”为由拒绝解读。 pic.twitter.com/J24Fy5n9v0

— 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) June 8, 2025

Qwen and Doubao still offered photo recognition as of Monday but refused to answer when asked questions about a photo of a test paper. Qwen responded that the service was temporarily frozen during exam hours from June 7 to 10, while Doubao said the picture uploaded was “not in compliance with rules.” The Doubao and DeepSeek applications also displayed automated messages announcing the temporary restriction of services, explaining that it was only during the examination tests.

Yuanbao and Kimi suspended photo-recognition services during the hours when the multi-day exams took place across the country. The chatbots responded, “To ensure the fairness of the college entrance examinations, this function cannot be used during the test period.”

However, none of the AI firms gave an official statement about suspending AI chatbots during the exam period. University students reportedly spread the information on the Chinese social media platform Weibo when they could not access the AI chatbots’ services to study during those exam hours. 

In addition to suspending AI tools to curb exam irregularities, school administrations in several regions in China announced that they would use AI to watch for “abnormal behaviors,” such as whispers or repeated glances between students during exams. East China’s Jiangxi Province will deploy an AI-powered, real-time surveillance system for all 567,100 candidates. The system will utilize deep learning algorithms to monitor irregular behavior by both examinees and exam invigilators in real time. Actions such as starting early, turning one’s head, passing items, or leaving mid-exam will be flagged and recorded.  Exam room footage will be reviewed after the exam, and any violations or misconduct will be dealt with strictly per relevant regulations. 

Ding calls for fairness as the Education Ministry issues AI guidelines

China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang this week called for a “safe gaokao,” stressing the importance of a campaign against cheating. Last month, the Education Ministry also released a set of regulations stating that while schools should start cultivating AI talent at a young age, students should not use AI-generated content as answers to tests. 

The 2025 edition of the guideline aimed to standardize the ethical and appropriate use of generative AI while addressing privacy risks, academic integrity, and overreliance on technology. A senior Education Ministry committee official said the restrictions were meant to ensure age-appropriate use of AI and prevent younger students from becoming overly dependent on the technology.

Primary school students were prohibited from independently using AI tools that generated open-ended content, while educators must ensure that AI can complement but not replace human-led teaching. Middle school students were allowed to explore the logical structure of AI-generated content. In contrast, high school students could engage in inquiry-based learning that involved understanding AI’s technical principles.

The guideline also asked educational authorities to formulate localized AI management policies, establish data protection rules, launch ethical review mechanisms, and create dynamic “whitelists” of approved AI tools. Teachers were required to ensure that AI played only a supplementary role in education. 

The ministry said it will increase investment in AI education infrastructure and gradually establish AI education bases in primary and secondary schools. It also plans to offer more training programs for teachers to improve their understanding and use of AI tools.

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