Australia has prohibited the use of DeepSeek on all government devices and systems, citing security risks posed by the Chinese Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup. DeepSeek generated global attention in January when it introduced a chatbot that rivaled US competitors in performance, claiming much lower training costs. This led to significant losses on stock markets worldwide, including in Australia, where stocks related to AI, like chipmaker Brainchip, plummeted overnight.
The Australian government emphasized that the ban was not due to DeepSeek’s Chinese origin but because of the “unacceptable risk” it posed to national security. DeepSeek has not yet commented on the situation.
The ban mandates that all government entities “prevent the use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications, and web services” and remove any previously installed versions from government systems or devices. As a result, various sectors, including the Australian Electoral Commission and the Bureau of Meteorology, will be unable to use the tools. However, it’s unclear whether the ban applies to public sector computers in other sectors, such as schools. The restriction does not extend to private citizens’ devices. Western countries have historically been cautious about Chinese technology, such as Huawei and TikTok, due to national security concerns.
Initially, reactions to DeepSeek were more positive, with former President Donald Trump calling it a “wake-up call” for the US, suggesting it could be beneficial by lowering AI costs. However, concerns have since emerged. In January, an Australian science minister warned countries to be cautious about DeepSeek, citing potential “data and privacy” issues. The chatbot was removed from app stores in Italy after its privacy policy came under scrutiny, following a similar move against ChatGPT in 2023. Regulators in South Korea, Ireland, and France have launched investigations into how DeepSeek handles user data, which is stored on servers in China. The White House has also expressed concerns, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that the US is investigating potential security risks. Reports indicate that the US Navy has banned DeepSeek use among its members, though this has not been officially confirmed.
AI tools, including DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini, analyze the prompts they receive to improve their services, often collecting personal information like email addresses and birth dates. Security experts have previously warned that those working with sensitive or national security-related information should be cautious about the data they share, as it could be stored and analyzed by developers.
Additionally, DeepSeek has faced allegations of using US technology unfairly to advance its own AI products. OpenAI has raised concerns that Chinese competitors, including DeepSeek, are leveraging its work to accelerate their AI development.
