Chinese AI blocked from taking photos and solving problems in the middle of university entrance exams

Tech companies in China have temporarily locked down photo recognition features on AI apps to ensure fairness in the "gaokao", an exam that determines the future of millions of candidates.

Image recognition features on AI chatbots in China will be temporarily disabled. Photo: Bloomberg .

Some popular AI chatbots in China have temporarily disabled their image recognition functions during the college entrance exam, Bloomberg reported, in an effort to prevent cheating.

The country’s most popular AI platforms, Qwen, Yuanbao, and Kimi, all suspended their image recognition services during the gaokao, China’s most important college entrance exam. When asked why, the chatbots responded that the feature was disabled “to ensure the fairness of the college entrance exam.”

The gaokao has long been considered one of the most rigorous and decisive exams in China. It is often considered the only gateway to university for millions of students in the East Asian country. For many students and their parents, the exam is an important turning point, affecting their future careers.

To gain an advantage, many students try to study extra or even cheat. That is why electronic devices will be completely banned during the exam, which lasts for many hours.

As of June 9, Alibaba’s Qwen and ByteDance’s Doubao still displayed the photo recognition feature. However, when users tried to send a photo of the exam for Q&A, Qwen reported that the feature had been suspended between June 7 and 10, coinciding with the gaokao exam schedule. Doubao responded that the uploaded photo “does not comply with the rules” of the platform.

About 13.4 million Chinese students are taking the exam this year. Chinese students mostly get only one chance to demonstrate their abilities, the gaokao, which usually takes place in June each year.

This exam is especially important for students from small cities and low-income families. A small mistake can make them repeat a year or give up the chance to enter their dream university.

The rapid development of AI has posed new challenges for China’s education system and regulators. In May, the Ministry of Education issued regulations requiring schools to actively train students in AI skills and strictly prohibiting the use of AI-generated content in exams.

Source: https://znews.vn/trung-quoc-bat-ngo-chan-ai-post1559525.html