Chinese tech giants have taken unusual steps to limit some AI chatbot functions during the country’s fiercely competitive university entrance exams, known as the gaokao.
From 7 to 10 June, several popular AI platforms have disabled picture recognition features, a move aimed at maintaining exam integrity for the more than 13.3 million students sitting these tests.
Message indicating the service suspension periods
Major AI chatbots including Alibaba’s Qwen, Tencent’s Yuanbao, and Moonshot’s Kimi have all turned off photo recognition during exam hours.
Attempts to use these tools to scan exam questions result in automatic responses explaining the service suspension.
For example, ByteDance’s Doubao — which still offers photo recognition generally — refuses to process images of test papers, citing compliance rules.
One user shared a screenshot showing Doubao replying:
“During the college entrance examination, according to relevant requirements, the question answering service will be suspended.”
When the user tried to argue it was not an exam question, the reply was the same.
A user tried explaining that he was a university student and the prompts were not exam questions.
Newcomer generative AI tool DeepSeek also informs users that its services are unavailable during specific times “to ensure fairness in the college entrance examination,” reinforcing how seriously these measures are taken.
The restrictions reflect broader efforts to prevent cheating in a test that often decides a young person’s entire future.
The gaokao is not just another exam; it’s a nationwide event that shapes university admissions and career paths.
Chinese authorities have layered other controls alongside AI feature suspensions.
These include biometric ID checks, banning digital devices, jamming radio signals, and monitoring exam rooms with AI tools designed to detect suspicious behaviours like whispering or repeated eye contact.
Jiangxi province, for example, has said any infractions caught on camera will be dealt with strictly according to regulations.
On social media, some students express frustration at losing access to AI helpers during the exam week.
One Weibo post wryly complained:
“College entrance exam candidates, you are all shit. I can’t use DeepSeek to upload pictures, I have to download ChatGPT again, I hope you all go to community college.”
Unlike countries such as the US, China’s university admissions rely heavily on the gaokao — a single, centralised, and tightly regulated exam covering subjects like Chinese, Math, and English.
There is no broad application system where academic records or essays play a large role.
The stakes are high and competition intense.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education urged schools to cultivate AI skills among students but banned the use of AI-generated content in homework and exams.
The temporary disabling of AI chatbots’ photo recognition during gaokao days follows this line, ensuring that technology does not undermine the fairness of the test.
While Alibaba’s Qwen and Tencent’s Yuanbao have paused key AI functions, ByteDance’s Doubao continues some image processing but filters out test materials.
Despite repeated media requests, none of these companies have made public statements explaining the feature freeze.
The issue has mostly surfaced through reports from university students who found themselves locked out of popular AI tools during exam periods.
This collective pause in AI features shows how China’s biggest tech players are cooperating with authorities to safeguard one of the country’s most critical educational events.
The gaokao’s importance echoes across society, prompting not just tech restrictions but also changes in city life — such as priority traffic lanes and postponed public events — to support students during exam week.
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