US Bans DeepSeek AI From Government Systems
The US Department of Homeland Security bans Chinese AI firm DeepSeek from civilian government agencies amid ongoing tech tensions and security concerns.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- US Homeland Security bans DeepSeek AI across civilian government agencies.
- The order exempts agencies operating under the Department of Defense.
- The directive was made public on Monday but took effect in late July.
- Tensions rise as US officials and firms accuse Chinese AI of unauthorized model copying.
The United States government has ordered all artificial intelligence technology originating from the Chinese firm DeepSeek to be purged from the majority of government systems, citing security and competitive pressures.
The Department of Homeland Security has prohibited the use of DeepSeek within all civilian government agencies, along with any external technology built using its underlying AI models. While the DHS made the directive public on Monday, the official ban actually took effect at the end of July.
The restriction applies specifically to civilian organizations, including the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State, and the Department of Justice. However, agencies operating under the Department of Defense remain excluded from the ban.
DeepSeek has emerged as a disruptive force in the global AI race due to its open-source nature and exceptionally low training costs. Last year, the company revealed it spent roughly 6 million dollars to train its initial model, compared to the roughly 100 million dollar cost associated with OpenAI's GPT-4, sending shockwaves through tech stock markets.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The government action follows mounting criticism from the Trump administration and American tech companies regarding Chinese AI development. White House tech lead Michael Kratsios stated earlier this year in an internal memo that malicious exploitation of US AI firms had occurred, driven primarily by rival entities in China.
"malicious exploitation of American AI firms had been occurring, mainly by rival firms in China."
Michael Kratsios, White House
Furthermore, major US startups Anthropic and OpenAI have previously claimed that their proprietary AI models were essentially copied by Chinese competitors, including DeepSeek. President Donald Trump has repeatedly identified China as the primary rival in AI development, viewing it as critical to the nation's future.
Government bans on foreign AI tools highlight how rapid technological disruption can quickly intersect with national security policies. As low-cost open-source models challenge established Western tech giants, geopolitical friction between the US and China is increasingly spilling over into regulatory and cybersecurity domains.
Despite the regulatory crackdown, DeepSeek has enjoyed surging popularity since its 2025 release, with its free chatbot ranking among the most downloaded apps on the Apple App Store. US tech firms such as Snowflake, Vercel, and OpenRouter have also integrated DeepSeek models into their customer offerings, while its newest version released last week continues to draw praise for software coding tasks.
Source: BBC Business
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