United States government vetoes use of Chinese AI DeepSeek in government agencies

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security announces a ban on products developed by DeepSeek - and tools created by third parties with this AI - and states that they must be removed from devices.

The department can give instructions to civilian agencies, but not to the Armed Forces or intelligence services. The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Use of DeepSeek's AI tools "may result in the transfer of sensitive data (to China) if used by U.S. government employees or contractors," the department warned.

Its servers are located in China, whose legal system allows the government to have "broad authority" to access the infrastructure of private companies, he added.

DeepSeek, one of China's leading AI labs, caused an industry earthquake in January 2025 with a low-cost, high-performance chatbot, challenging American companies.

The US has accused DeepSeek and other major Chinese AI companies of systematically stealing the capabilities of cutting-edge models developed by their American rivals.