The Australian government has banned the use of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek on all government devices and systems, citing security risks, the BBC reported.
This move comes after DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot in January that rivaled US competitors in performance while claiming significantly lower training costs, a development that triggered a global market downturn, including sharp drops in Australian AI-related stocks.
Despite the timing, the Australian government maintains the ban is not related to DeepSeek’s Chinese origins but rather the “unacceptable risk” it poses to national security.
“While recognizing the potential of AI, the government will prioritize national security and act decisively against identified risks,” stated Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
The ban mandates all government entities to “prevent the use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services” and remove any existing installations from government systems and devices.
This restriction impacts a wide range of government workers, including those at the Australian Electoral Commission and the Bureau of Meteorology.
It remains unclear whether the ban extends to public sector computers in areas like schools, but it does not apply to private citizens’ devices.
This action aligns with a growing trend of Western nations expressing concerns about Chinese technology, similar to restrictions placed on Huawei and TikTok.
While initial reactions to DeepSeek, which quickly became a top downloaded free app in the UK and US, appeared different, concerns have since surfaced.
An Australian science minister previously highlighted “data and privacy” concerns, and the chatbot was removed from app stores after its privacy policy was questioned in Italy.
Regulators in South Korea, Ireland, and France are also investigating DeepSeek’s data handling practices, given its data storage on servers in China.
The White House press secretary has indicated the US is also examining potential security implications, and the US Navy has reportedly banned its members from using DeepSeek, though this has not been confirmed by the BBC.
AI tools, including DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini, analyze user prompts to improve their products and collect data such as email addresses and birth dates.
Security experts have cautioned against entering confidential or national security information into chatbots due to the risk of data retention and analysis by developers.
DeepSeek has also faced accusations of utilizing US technology unfairly, with OpenAI alleging that competitors, including those in China, are using its work for their own advancements.
