Chinese AI chatbot ‘DeepSeek’ banned!

The Chinese startup's technology is coming under scrutiny, with a few countries banning the use of the technology in government offices.

Hyderabad: Chinese open-source AI chatbot app DeepSeek, which took the tech world by storm last week with its AI model costing significantly less than competitor OpenAI, seems to have hit some roadblocks this week.

The Chinese startup’s technology is coming under scrutiny, with a few countries banning the use of the technology in government offices.

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The Finance Ministry of India has directed its officers not to download or use AI tools and apps such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek in office computers and devices, saying they pose confidentiality risks to data and documents.

In the United States, several federal agencies have instructed their employees not to access DeepSeek. Citing security concerns, Australia has also banned the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from all its government systems and devices.

According to reports, Australia’s Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs has asked all government entities to prevent access to the Chinese AI chatbot, restricting its installation and usage.

A Reuters report suggests that the Industry Ministry of South Korea has temporarily banned access to DeepSeek due to security concerns.

The government issued a notice calling for ministries to exercise caution when using AI services like DeepSeek and ChatGPT in workplaces, the report added.

Other countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland, have also raised concerns about DeepSeek’s data collection policies, as many fear that the app might share data with the Chinese government.