US Bans Government Agencies From Using China's DeepSeek AI Tools
The US government on Monday ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools from the Chinese startup DeepSeek, as the two countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector.
A notice from the Department of Homeland Security announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek, extending also to tools created by third parties using DeepSeek. The notice said the tools must be removed from IT devices.
The order has limits, however. The DHS can issue directions to civilian agencies but not to the military or the intelligence services. The US defense department did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
A document attached to Monday's notice said that “DeepSeek's models present multiple threat vectors.” The department warned that use of DeepSeek AI tools “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to (China) if used by US government employees or vendors.”
The reason, the DHS said, is that DeepSeek's servers are located in China, where the legal system permits the government “extensive authority” to access private company infrastructure. In other words, Washington's core concern is the security of its data.
One of China's top AI labs, DeepSeek shook up the industry in January 2025 with a low-cost, high-performance chatbot, challenging assumptions of US dominance in the field.
The firm released its long-awaited new model, V4, in April, and earlier in October updated a faster, more lightweight version of V4. The US ban lands in the middle of that run of technical advances.
The US has previously accused DeepSeek and other top Chinese AI firms of systematically stealing the capabilities of cutting-edge models developed by American rivals. The new ban is the latest addition to that cycle of accusation and counter-accusation.
Yet despite their fierce competition in the field, the two countries recently opened a channel of communication. When leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met at the White House in September, China and the US agreed to set up a “communication channel” for AI incidents.
The topic is expected to arise again at a meeting between Xi and Trump at a summit scheduled for November in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Attention will now turn to Beijing's reaction to the ban and to what effect it has on those talks.
