The US government has ordered all federal civilian agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools from the Chinese startup DeepSeek. According to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security, the ban includes products developed by DeepSeek as well as third-party services built using its technology, all of which must be removed from IT devices.
The Department of Homeland Security cited national security concerns, noting that the use of these tools may result in the transfer of sensitive data to China. DeepSeek is recognized as a powerful, popular, and relatively inexpensive artificial intelligence model. While several US agencies had already banned the use of DeepSeek on government devices, this latest directive mandates its exclusion across all civilian agencies.
China has criticized the ban, highlighting the ongoing tensions and the race for dominance between the two nations in the fast-moving AI sector.