China cracks down on ‘AI prediction’ scams ahead of national university entrance exams
The authorities have pledged to target people cashing in on claims the technology could predict the questions for the national gaokao exam
The Chinese Ministry of Education, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security on Friday jointly announced a campaign to investigate and clean up “illegal and harmful information” relating to the exams.
Known as the gaokao, the National Higher Education Entrance Examination can make or break a young person’s future since their scores largely determine if and where they can attend university and what they can study. The exams run from June 7 to June 10 this year.
More than 13.3 million candidates will take the test, according to education ministry figures, and many will have been preparing using mock papers and the previous years’ exams.
Mock papers, which the sellers claim used AI to better predict the actual questions, are selling online for inflated prices, according to media reports.
Some social media accounts and private tutors are also claiming access to “top secret” information sourced from teachers who help set the papers, according to Friday’s government announcement.
“Some even used big AI models to predict the questions as a gimmick. The relevant information was exaggerated to attract traffic, in order to induce candidates and parents to buy simulated test questions and reference materials at high prices,” the statement said.