The landscape of education is rapidly changing, with AI tools becoming a key part of the study routine for millions of students worldwide. However, when these same tools start to threaten the integrity of high-stakes exams, it raises significant questions. This is exactly what happened in June 2025 when major Chinese tech companies decided to freeze their AI tools to prevent cheating during the Gaokao, China’s fiercely competitive university entrance exam.
The action was significant, not only for the future of educational integrity but also for the role of technology in shaping the modern classroom. Let’s break down why this matters, how it affects students, and what the implications could be for future exams globally.
What Happened? The Suspension of AI Tools
Every year, over 13 million students across China sit for the Gaokao. This exam is one of the most important events in their lives, determining which universities they can attend. The pressure is immense, and as technology has advanced, so has the temptation to use AI as a means of gaining an advantage. In response to this growing trend, major Chinese tech firms, including ByteDance, Tencent, Alibaba, and Moonshot, took unprecedented action in 2025 by freezing certain AI functionalities during the exam period.
Why Did They Freeze AI Tools?
AI tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and others have become integral to students’ study habits, providing instant access to answers, explanations, and even real-time problem-solving assistance. This made it tempting for some students to rely on these technologies to cheat during the Gaokao.
In response, Chinese tech companies made the decision to suspend these services during the exam window. The rationale? To ensure fairness and eliminate the possibility of AI-based cheating that could undermine the integrity of one of the world’s most competitive exams.
The Role of Chinese Tech Firms in Education
China’s tech giants have long been involved in educational technology. They’ve developed platforms and tools to help students prepare for exams, improve learning, and even access content on-demand. However, their growing involvement in the educational ecosystem has brought both positive and negative consequences.
On one hand, these tools can enhance learning by providing quick answers and facilitating deeper understanding of complex subjects. On the other hand, they can be used unethically if they provide students with unfair advantages during crucial moments, such as national exams.
AI Freeze: ByteDance, Tencent, and Alibaba’s Moves
- ByteDance’s Doubao: ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is no stranger to AI innovation. For its educational tool Doubao, it implemented a strict freeze of its AI answering system during the exam period. Students who tried to upload exam questions to Doubao received a message stating that the service was suspended to comply with exam regulations. This move prevented students from accessing instant answers during the test.
- Tencent’s Yuanbao and Alibaba’s Qwen: Tencent and Alibaba also joined the freeze by disabling their AI image recognition tools, which could have been used to search for answers in textbooks or online databases. These tools were temporarily turned off during exam hours to stop students from using them to gain an unfair advantage.
- Moonshot’s Kimi: Moonshot, another key player in the Chinese tech industry, followed suit by disabling certain AI features during the Gaokao. Kimi, a widely used AI image recognition tool, was restricted from processing images related to the exam, ensuring that students could not simply upload their papers for quick solutions.
This collaborative suspension of AI tools by China’s tech giants was seen as a strong stance to preserve fairness in the face of technological challenges. The tech companies’ actions were in line with government guidelines aimed at curbing academic dishonesty.
The Gaokao: A Critical Moment in Chinese Education
Before delving into the broader implications of AI freezes, it’s crucial to understand the significance of the Gaokao. For Chinese students, the Gaokao is a make-or-break moment. The exam is held over a span of four days, and its results determine which universities students can apply to and, in many cases, their future careers.
The pressure to succeed is so immense that it influences not just the students but their families and communities. It’s no wonder that any form of cheating or dishonesty could have serious consequences for the integrity of the education system.
How the AI Freeze Affects Students
For students who relied on AI tools for study assistance, the suspension of services during the Gaokao was a major setback. AI-based tutoring, problem-solving, and information retrieval services were unavailable, forcing students to rely solely on their preparation and knowledge.
While some students complained about the sudden lack of access to these tools, others recognized the importance of maintaining fairness in such a high-stakes exam.
Many students turned to social media platforms like Weibo to express their frustration. Some humorously lamented, “I can’t use DeepSeek to upload pictures, I have to download ChatGPT again, I hope you all go to community college.” While the comment was clearly tongue-in-cheek, it underscored the frustration of students who had come to depend heavily on these AI tools.
Preventing Cheating: The Role of AI Surveillance
The freeze on AI tools was just one part of China’s broader strategy to prevent cheating during the Gaokao. Other measures included:
- AI Surveillance: In addition to disabling AI tools, Chinese authorities implemented AI-based surveillance to monitor student behavior during the exam. Systems were in place to detect suspicious actions like whispering or students looking at one another’s papers. Learn more about AI surveillance in education at edtechmagazine.com.
- Biometric Identification: Students were subjected to enhanced security measures, including biometric identification to ensure that the person sitting the exam was the registered candidate.
- Radio Signal Blockers: To prevent students from using mobile phones or other digital devices to cheat, radio signal blockers were deployed at exam centers. This ensured that no student could easily access forbidden online resources during the exam.
- Logistical Adjustments: Cities took steps to ensure smooth transportation for students. Public events were postponed, and traffic lanes were dedicated to students traveling to exam centers. These measures ensured that logistical delays would not interfere with the exam.
The Future of AI in Education
The actions taken by Chinese tech firms highlight the growing need to regulate AI in education. While AI tools have the potential to revolutionize how students learn, they also bring challenges, particularly when it comes to maintaining fairness in high-stakes exams. The Gaokao serves as a case study for how technology can both enhance and disrupt education.
As AI continues to evolve, it’s likely that educational institutions worldwide will face similar dilemmas. Should AI tools be allowed during exams? If so, how can we ensure that students are using them ethically? These are questions that policymakers, educators, and tech companies will need to grapple with as technology becomes an increasingly integral part of the classroom.
The Bigger Picture: Ethical Considerations and the Role of AI
The freeze on AI tools in the Gaokao shines a light on a bigger ethical dilemma—how much should AI influence education? On the one hand, AI can help students learn more effectively and provide tailored support based on their individual needs. On the other hand, AI can also be used to gain unfair advantages during exams, ultimately compromising the integrity of the education system.
As AI continues to play a larger role in education, it’s crucial to strike a balance between innovation and fairness. Tech companies and governments will need to work together to establish ethical guidelines for AI use in academic settings. The goal should be to ensure that AI is a tool for enhancing learning, not for undermining the hard work of students.
Conclusion: The Future of Education and AI
The decision by Chinese tech firms to freeze AI tools during the Gaokao in 2025 was a significant move to preserve the integrity of the examination process. It serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring fairness in high-stakes exams and the need for responsible AI use in education.
As we move forward, it will be crucial for governments, tech companies, and educational institutions to collaborate on creating clear guidelines for AI use in academic settings. Only then can we ensure that AI enhances, rather than undermines, the learning experience for students worldwide.
In the coming years, we may see similar moves in other countries as the role of AI in education continues to evolve. However, what’s clear is that the future of education will be shaped not just by the technology available but by how we choose to use it in an ethical, responsible way.
