The finance ministry of India has issued a directive to its staff advising against the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official tasks. The advisory, which highlights concerns over the confidentiality of government data and documents, was circulated within the department.
Similar restrictions have been implemented by nations like Australia and Italy, which have also cited data security issues related to the use of DeepSeek. The news of India’s advisory emerged on social media platforms just ahead of the anticipated visit by OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, who is expected to meet with the IT minister during his trip.
The advisory, dated January 29, emphasized that AI applications like ChatGPT and DeepSeek present significant risks to the confidentiality of sensitive government information.
Officials from the finance ministry confirmed the authenticity of the advisory, noting that it was disseminated internally this week. However, inquiries to representatives from the finance ministry, OpenAI, and DeepSeek regarding the advisory went unanswered.
At this time, it remains unclear whether similar guidelines have been enacted for other ministries within the Indian government.
OpenAI currently faces scrutiny in India due to an ongoing copyright infringement dispute with prominent Indian media organizations. The company has asserted in court documents that it does not operate servers within the country, prompting calls for the Indian courts to dismiss the case.
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