The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a directive requiring civilian federal agencies to remove all products from the Chinese AI firm Deepseek from their IT infrastructure. This mandate extends to software developed by third-party vendors that utilizes Deepseek open-source models and prohibits any future procurement of these technologies.
Washington justifies the move by citing concerns regarding potential unauthorized access to sensitive government data by Beijing. In response, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs labeled the decision as discriminatory, while the Ministry of Commerce demanded the immediate reversal of the ban and pledged to implement retaliatory measures.
China maintains strict domestic regulations on AI services. Since 2023, the Cyberspace Administration has mandated that all AI products undergo review to ensure compliance with political guidelines. Consequently, services such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini remain blocked within the country, and state entities are transitioning to domestic hardware and software.
Beijing has recently proposed its own framework for export and licensing controls concerning AI technologies. These measures mirror existing American policies. Furthermore, the 2017 National Intelligence Law in China requires local companies and citizens to assist national intelligence services, a factor that continues to influence US policy decisions.
