The US government has ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools from Chinese mainland startup DeepSeek as the two countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector.

A notice on Monday from the Department of Homeland Security announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek – and tools created using DeepSeek by third parties – saying they must be removed from IT devices.

The department can issue direction to civilian agencies, but not the military or intelligence services.

"DeepSeek's models present multiple threat vectors," said a document attached to Monday's notice.

Use of DeepSeek AI tools "may result in the transfer of sensitive data to [China] if used by US government employees or vendors," the department warned.

Its servers are located in China, where the legal system permits the government "extensive authority" to access private company infrastructure, it said.

DeepSeek, one of China's top AI labs, shook up the industry in January 2025 with a low-cost, high-performance chatbot, challenging assumptions of US dominance.

The firm released a long-awaited new model, V4, in April, and this month updated a faster, more lightweight version of V4.

Despite their fierce competition in the field, China and the United States in September agreed to set up a "communication channel" for AI incidents.

The topic is expected to arise again when the countries' leaders meet next month at a summit in Shenzhen. (AFP)



Edited by Altis Wong