China's AI firms restrict chatbot features during exam season to prevent cheating

In brief: The problem of students using AI to cheat on their exams has become a major headache for schools around the world. But China has come up with a solution that could prove effective: AI companies are suspending some of their chatbots' features during exam seasons.

Makers of some of China's most popular AI apps, including Alibaba's Qwen and ByteDance's Doubao, have stopped the tools' picture-recognition features from responding whenever they are used to identify and answer questions related to tests, reports Bloomberg. Others, including Tencent's Yuanbao and Moonshot's Kimi, have completely disabled their photo-recognition services during the current exam period.

A Chinese user posted a photo of an exam question posed to Doubao. The chatbot responded with, "During the college entrance examination, according to relevant requirements, the question answering service will be suspended." Insisting that the question isn't related to an exam ...