US bans use of China’s DeepSeek AI tools by government agencies

The US government has ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence (AI) tools developed by Chinese startup DeepSeek. This ban was announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday, following concerns that using such tools could lead to the transfer of sensitive data to China. The DHS can issue directives to civilian agencies but not to military or intelligence services.

The ban applies to DeepSeek's products and any tools created using DeepSeek by third parties. The DHS warned that DeepSeek's AI models could pose multiple threats, specifically the potential for sensitive data to be transferred to China if used by US government employees or vendors. The legal system in China allows the government significant access to private company infrastructure, according to the DHS.

DeepSeek made headlines in January 2025 with the launch of a high-performance, low-cost chatbot, challenging the perceived dominance of the US in the AI sector. The company released an updated model, V4, in April, followed by a faster and more lightweight version in October. Despite the intense competition between China and the US in AI development, both nations agreed to establish a communication channel for AI incidents during a meeting between their leaders in September.

This topic is expected to be revisited at a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Shenzhen, China, in November.