OpenAI Says DeepSeek Could ‘Be Compelled’ to Cause Harm, Calls for Ban

ChatGPT firm OpenAI has lashed out at Chinese AI lab DeepSeek, alleging its models “could be compelled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to manipulate its models to cause harm.”

OpenAI went on to call for a ban on China-produced equipment and AI models “that violate user privacy and create security risks such as the risk of IP theft” in “Tier 1” countries. These are countries, like the United Kingdom and Canada, that are generally considered US diplomatic allies.

The ChatGPT firm alleged that “there is significant risk in building on top of DeepSeek models in critical infrastructure and other high-risk use cases” due to the potential for Chinese government interference. OpenAI compared the risk to that posed by Chinese telecommunications and consumer tech giant Huawei, which has been heavily sanctioned in the US and much of Western Europe.

DeepSeek hit the headlines at the start of this year, drawing attention for its impressive performance and low cost, with some commentators dubbing it a “Sputnik moment” in the technology race between China and the US. It shortly became one of the most downloaded AI apps in the US.

The accusations come in response to the AI Action Plan, a new government initiative aimed at maintaining American dominance in AI, which called for proposals from AI firms like OpenAI.

OpenAI also petitioned for several other measures it claims will speed up American AI dominance. These included making it easier for government agencies to use the services of “frontier AI” companies and applying “fair use doctrine” to AI training data.

“While America maintains a lead on AI today, DeepSeek shows that our lead is not wide and is narrowing,” wrote Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs.

Regardless of OpenAI’s requests, many parts of the US government are already pushing for a hardline approach on DeepSeek. House representatives introduced a bill last month that would ban DeepSeek on government devices nationwide, with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) calling the AI model “a five-alarm national security fire.” Meanwhile, DeepSeek has already been banned on government devices in Texas and New York.

Last week, the WSJ reported that the current administration is mulling an outright ban on DeepSeek in the US, though discussions are reportedly “still at an early stage.” Other countries have already banned or blocked DeepSeek on government devices nationwide, including South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia.

Bloomberg reported earlier this month that DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfeng may have met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during an AI summit.

About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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