The Trump administration is currently considering a prohibition on the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek for use on US government devices amid concerns regarding national security, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed on Friday.
Officials express apprehension regarding DeepSeek’s management of user data, which the firm claims is stored on servers in China, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, which initially covered the story.
In addition to potentially banning the chatbot from app marketplaces, administration officials are evaluating restrictions on US-based cloud service providers regarding the distribution of DeepSeek’s AI models, the Journal noted, while indicating that these discussions are in the preliminary stages.
The introduction of DeepSeek’s affordable AI models caused significant turmoil in global equity markets in January, raising investor fears about the potential disruption to existing AI market leaders.
On Thursday, a coalition of 21 state attorneys general urged Congress to enact legislation that would prevent the installation and utilization of DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence software on government devices.
The White House has yet to respond to requests for a statement on the matter.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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