Affected users shared screenshots on Weibo, revealing that AI tools like DeepSeek now block access during key periods. The apps cited fairness as the reason for the temporary blackout.

The news broke largely through social media, with Chinese students taking to Weibo to express frustration.

One user who reportedly tried sending a photo of a test question to ByteDance-owned Doubao received the message: “During the college entrance examination, according to relevant requirements, the question answering service will be suspended.”

When the user insisted it wasn’t a test photo, the app repeated the same message.

Another image shared online showed DeepSeek displaying: “To ensure fairness in the college entrance examination,” when a user attempted to access services during restricted hours.

The Guardian reports that no official statements have been released by the AI companies. The suspensions appear to have been discovered by students rather than announced by the firms themselves.

Major Chinese technology companies have temporarily disabled key artificial intelligence features to prevent cheating during the country’s high-stakes university entrance examinations.

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More than 13.3 million students are currently sitting the four-day “gaokao” tests, which began Saturday and determine their chances of securing limited university spots.

Alibaba

,

Tencent

, and

ByteDance

have suspended photo-recognition capabilities in their popular AI chatbots during exam hours. When students attempted to upload exam questions to apps like Doubao (owned by

TikTok

‘s parent company) and Qwen, the services responded that question-answering functions were unavailable “to ensure fairness in the college entrance examination,” according to Bloomberg reports.

DeepSeek

, a generative AI tool that gained prominence earlier this year, also blocked its services during specific hours for the same reason. Screenshots shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo showed frustrated students encountering these restrictions even when claiming their queries weren’t exam-related.

The AI suspensions represent just one layer of anti-cheating measures deployed during gaokao week.

Several provinces have implemented AI monitoring systems to detect “abnormal behaviors” like whispering or suspicious glances between students during exams, The Guardian reported.

Chinese authorities have also introduced stricter entry protocols, including biometric identification, enhanced screening for digital devices, and radio signal blockers at exam sites.

The gaokao’s significance extends beyond academics, some cities have postponed public events, delayed office hours, and created priority traffic lanes to ensure students arrive on time.

For many Chinese families, particularly those from smaller cities and lower-income backgrounds, this exam represents the primary pathway to higher education and social mobility.

Top Chinese AI firms went a step further and suspended major operations of their popular chatbots temporarily to stop students from cheating in the nation’s most eagerly awaited annual academic examination.

While over 13.3 million Chinese students endure the gaokao college entrance exams between June 7-10, technology giants such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent have disabled or limited their AI products’ strongest functions.

The act serves to raise increasing fears that how readily available AI technology can compromise the integrity of education during high-stakes exams.

AI Giants Suspend Features to Combat Cheating in China’s Gaokao Exams

Alibaba’s Qwen and Doubao by ByteDance have especially suspended their image recognition features from answering questions about test documents, according to Bloomberg. Tencent’s Yuanbao and Kimi by Moonshot have gone a step ahead and suspended their photo-recognition features entirely during the exam period.

The restrictions extend beyond the biggest players. DeepSeek, the foreign artificial intelligence service that was in the news this spring, is also shutting down its features for parts of the day. When students try to use those features, they get messages saying functions have been turned off “to ensure the fairness of the college entrance examinations.”

This collective push by Chinese AI vendors is a testament to the enormous pressure that comes with the gaokao exams.

Contrary to the majority of Western educations that account for other factors in admission to university, the gaokao is the only route of entry to China’s universities. Students prepare for several years to sit for these multi-day exams, aware that their marks will control much of their school and professional life ahead.

The intense competition has created a scenario where any edge on offer may be tempting. While students are already prohibited from carrying phones, laptops, and other gadgets into the exam rooms, the self-regulatory measures of the AI companies add a further deterrent to any attempts at cheating.

What is significant about this situation is how it came to be. According to the Guardian, word of the shutdowns wasn’t issued in formal company announcements but rather disseminated by student chatter on Weibo, China’s social media site of choice.

That this is grassroots discovery means students were attempting to use these AI tools actively and found the blocks for themselves.

How AI is Reshaping Academic Integrity and Testing?

The trend is not exclusive to China. Schools globally are trying to understand how AI chatbots are transforming the landscape of academic honesty.

The Wall Street Journal in May reported that American colleges and universities have experienced a resurgence for old-fashioned blue books—the paper booklets where exams are taken by hand—as schools seek to fight AI-assisted cheating by moving back to analog test-taking methods.

This movement towards paper-based testing is a fascinating reversal of the adoption of education technology. As schools embraced digital technologies and online testing, the emergence of sophisticated AI has prompted many to reconsider the security of digital forms.

Chinese businesses’ self-initiated cuts in services during gaokao are an expression of social responsibility beyond the legal framework. While there may appear to be no such laws mandating the shutdowns, the businesses seem to be aware of their role in educational equity.

The short-term limitations also show how AI companies are trying to weigh innovation against social responsibility. Rather than blacking out their capabilities in the long term, they’re creating separate blackout time frames to coincide with peak learning periods.

As AI technology spreads and becomes more widespread, this Chinese model can serve as a template for other countries facing the same challenges. Whether or not AI will influence education is not the question—the fact that it is already doing so is not in dispute. The question is how to capitalize on its benefits without compromising the integrity of academic testing.

The ban on gaokao is just one example of society’s adaptation to the revolution induced by AI, setting new standards and assumptions for when and how such powerful tools are employed.

Chinese AI companies have temporarily paused some of their chatbot features to prevent students from using them to cheat during nationwide college exams, Bloomberg reports. Popular AI apps, including Alibaba’s Qwen and ByteDance’s Doubao, have stopped picture recognition features from responding to questions about test papers, while Tencent’s Yuanbao, Moonshot’s Kimi have suspended photo-recognition services entirely during exam hours.

The increasing availability of chatbots has made it easier than ever for students around the world to cheat their way through education. Schools in the US are trying to address the issue by reintroducing paper tests, with the Wall Street Journal reporting in May that sales of blue books have boomed in universities across the country over the last two years.

The rigorous multi-day “gaokao” exams are sat by more than 13.3 million Chinese students between June 7-10th, each fighting to secure one of the limited spots at universities across the country. Students are already banned from using devices like phones and laptops during the hours-long tests, so the disabling of AI chatbots serves as an additional safety net to prevent cheating during exam season.

When asked to explain the suspension, Bloomberg reports the Yuanbao and Kimi chatbots responded that functions had been disabled “to ensure the fairness of the college entrance examinations.” Similarly, the DeepSeek AI tool that went viral earlier this year is also blocking its service during specific hours “to ensure fairness in the college entrance examination,” according to The Guardian.

We were unable to find any public announcements from the AI companies mentioned, with The Guardian reporting that news around the shutdowns is being driven by students on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The gaokao entrance exam incites fierce competition as it’s the only means to secure a college placement in China, driving concerns that students may try to improve their chances with AI tools.

The 2025 gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam, got underway Saturday morning amid nationwide efforts to support examinees.

While students concentrate on doing their best, authorities and communities nationwide have introduced a wide range of initiatives to ensure the exam is conducted safely and fairly for the 13.35 million candidates. In many places, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is introduced for this purpose.

On May 28, China’s Ministry of Education announced strengthened security measures for the 2025 gaokao, emphasizing technological safeguards. Upgrades include stricter entry checks, enhanced screening for devices like phones and smartwatches, radio signal blocking at all exam sites, and the expanded use of intelligent surveillance and inspection systems to strengthen the exam security network.

Beyond technological safeguards, many regions have taken additional steps to create a calm and supportive exam environment for candidates. These include postponing entertainment shows, temporarily closing libraries, cultural centers, museums and sports venues, and adjusting government and business office hours.

To ease road traffic and ensure timely arrival, multiple cities have implemented tailored measures such as delaying office start hours and encouraging carpooling or public transit. Traffic police have set up priority lanes and are ready to escort students caught in traffic, ensuring every student reaches their exam site on time.

To shield students from adverse weather, many schools have set up rain-and-sun shelters, stocked umbrellas, and ensured first aid support with on-site medical staff. Inside exam rooms, air conditioning, silent fans and purified drinking water created a comfortable setting.

Multiple regions have provided conveniences for more than 14,000 examinees with disabilities, including the provision of exam papers in Braille for 16 candidates in 12 provincial-level regions.

These nationwide efforts reflect not only the logistical scale of the gaokao but also the deep societal importance attached to it. Behind every quiet exam room or smooth ride to a test center is a collective commitment to ensuring fairness, opportunity and hope for the future.

Since its reinstatement in 1977, the gaokao has become one of China’s most powerful tools for the promotion of educational equity and social mobility. Rooted in a merit-based selection ethos, the exam allows students from families of all backgrounds to compete fairly. This standardized system ensures transparency and accountability in university admissions for a population of over 1.4 billion.

For many, the gaokao is a life-changing moment, a single chance to transform their future through determination and hard work. It has come to symbolize fairness, opportunity, and the belief that personal effort can change one’s destiny.

2025 college entrance exam kicks off amid nationwide support