China shuts down DeepSeek and other AI chatbots for university entrance tests, ET Education
Major Chinese technology companies have temporarily disabled key artificial intelligence features to prevent cheating during the country’s high-stakes university entrance examinations. 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.
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