China Clamps Down on AI During High-Stakes Gaokao Exams

June 7–10, 2025 – China’s annual gaokao tests drew over 13 million students. To preserve fairness, major tech firms turned off AI-powered assistants during exam hours. Firms including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and Moonshot cut critical features—like image recognition and question-answering—to stop misuse by students.

Local governments added more layers. In several provinces, authorities deployed AI-powered proctoring systems to flag suspicious behavior like frequent glancing or whispering . Other regions implemented biometric ID checks, screened for gadgets, and blocked digital signals . Cities even postponed events and opened priority lanes so students reached exam sites on time .

China’s gaokao serves as the single most important entry point to university. For rural and low-income families especially, results can chart life trajectories . Unique in its reliance on this one exam, the system offers little alternate path.

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Earlier, China’s education ministry urged schools to teach AI skills. But it strictly barred students from using AI-generated answers in homework or tests . Tech giants complied swiftly when exam week began June?7.

This marks one of the first coordinated pauses in AI features aimed at stopping academic cheating. As China rolls out its new education policies, the move shows how seriously both government and industry view AI-as-cheat-sheets.

With testing finished on June?10, companies likely reinstated their services. But this temporary shutdown sets a precedent. Future gaokaos will probably trigger similar restrictions. The message is clear: even advanced tools must yield to exam integrity.

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