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.
Nexo bermitra dengan Koinly untuk menyederhanakan pelaporan pajak kripto bagi pengguna, menawarkan formulir pajak yang disesuaikan dan terintegrasi dengan lebih dari 100 yurisdiksi.
YouQuanBinance telah mengumumkan kampanye baru yang disebut "Crypto lebih baik dengan Binance". Kampanye ini akan menampilkan sepuluh cerita dari pengguna Binance di seluruh dunia yang telah menggunakan kripto untuk meningkatkan kehidupan mereka.
JoyCircle dengan tegas menyangkal tuduhan pembiayaan ilegal dan hubungannya dengan Justin Sun, membantah klaim dari Campaign for Accountability di tengah kekhawatiran mata uang kripto yang lebih luas.
Hui XinRollbit, yang menggabungkan kasino online dan pertukaran kripto, mencapai kapitalisasi pasar sebesar $505 juta dan pendapatan biaya bulanan sebesar $41 juta yang mengesankan, dengan token RLB yang mengalami pengembalian 70x lipat tahun ini.
YouQuanAn unnamed developer, identified only as Leonidas, has publicly accused OCEAN of engaging in the censorship of transactions related to Bitcoin Ordinals.
BrianSebuah kasus yang melibatkan barang koleksi digital muncul ke permukaan, menyoroti skema penggalangan dana yang menipu. Para penawar yang tidak sadar, yang terpikat pada investasi impulsif, menemukan diri mereka tanpa disadari menjadi peserta dalam skema piramida. Investigasi mengungkapkan bahwa platform yang dimaksud telah menyerap lebih dari 1,34 juta yuan dari ribuan pengguna, yang mengakibatkan total kerugian lebih dari 410.000 yuan bagi para korban.
JoySetelah kematian Henry Kissinger, pasar kripto mengalami lonjakan koin meme bertema Kissinger, yang menyoroti sifat spekulatif dari budaya koin meme.
YouQuanSejak awal, BITO telah mempertahankan volume perdagangan harian rata-rata sebesar $160 juta, menempatkannya di antara 5% teratas dari semua ETF AS.
BrianVeVe merilis koleksi komik digital baru yang menakjubkan berjudul "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi #1" pada tanggal 15 Desember pukul 8 pagi waktu setempat. Koleksi ini merayakan ulang tahun ke-40 film ikonik ini dan menawarkan kepada para penggemar sebuah cara unik untuk memiliki dan merasakan sepotong sejarah Star Wars.
JoyOrang dalam yang mengetahui masalah ini mengungkapkan bahwa langkah Kucoin untuk mengakuisisi Ku.com adalah upaya untuk meningkatkan posisinya di sektor pertukaran mata uang kripto.
Brian