While provincial government ministers are urging caution, others are scrambling for advice on the technology’s cybersecurity implications, while one American company has cautiously blocked staff from using it.
But others have welcomed DeepSeek’s appearance, calling for Australia to pursue China ’s lead in developing strong still less energy-intensive AI systems.
The Chinese company has radically altered the AI industry in the times since the R1 artificial intelligence design and public release of the R1 chatbot and application.
Following the launch, some global industry leaders noticed a decline in their because DeepSeek demonstrated that AI could be developed using less money and time to train models like ChatGPT or MetaLlama.
Its introduction may indicate a new business change, but for authorities and business, the effect is questionable. Whereas ChatGPT’s 2022 appearance caught governments and businesses by surprise as workers began to try out the new AI technology, at least for the arrival of Deepseek, some had a playbook.
Business as usual
A spokesperson for Telstra said the firm had “a comprehensive approach to determine all AI tools, capabilities, and use cases in our business”, including a list of approved conceptual AI tools, and guidelines on how to use them.
For now at Telstra, DeepSeek is never allowed.
“Our preferred lover is MS Copilot, and we’re rolling out 21,000 Copilot for Microsoft 365 licences to our people. ”
Different businesses contacted them right away to inquire about the adoption of DeepSeek.
Katherine Mansted, the executive director of computer knowledge for the most significant American cybersecurity firm CyberCX, stated that customers had already contacted the company for information on whether the technologies was safe.
It should come as no surprise that there have been some sort of DeepSeek fury, both among those with the security lens and those who are financially and market inclined, Mansted said.
DeepSeek and authorities
This year, CyberCX took the unusual step of releasing counsel that urges businesses to seriously consider restricting access to DeepSeek on job products, including those held by government agencies and those storing sensitive information.
We are aware that the government hasn’t taken any proactive steps here. “We’ve had debates about TikTok, about Chinese surveillance cameras, about Huawei in the telco network, and we always act after the fact, not before the fact … Here, particularly because the threats are around compromise of sensitive information, in terms of any information that you put into this AI assistant: it ’s going straight to China.
We believed we needed to act more quickly this time. ”
Organizations have until February 2025 to release transparency documents about their use of AI in accordance with federal AI policy, which was implemented in September 2024.
However, it has turned out to be challenging to understand who makes decisions regarding DeepSeek’s specific application in the federal government. The attorney general’s department, which made the decision , referred inquiries to the Digital Transformation Agency, which in turn referred enquires to the Department of Home Affairs.
Home Affairs was contacted about its official policy on Thursday, but it had not responded by the time of publication.
familiar debates…
By now, Australia’s response to DeepSeek is well known. Similar to the days Huawei was barred from the NBN and 5G rollouts in Australia, and more recently, there have been the technology due to concerns about how the Chinese government might access user data.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a vocal critic of the Chinese government, stated this week that Australia is unable to continue its current strategy of responding to each new technological development. A tech strategy that included investing in sovereign AI capabilities was required.
Ed Husic, the industry minister, said on Tuesday that it was too early to determine whether DeepSeek was a security risk.
after newsletter promotion
We will always keep an open mind and observe what happens if there is anything that poses a risk in the national interest. I think it ’s too early to jump to conclusions on that, ” he said. “But, again, if we have to act, then responsible governments do. ”
He emphasized that Australia is “in the planning stages” of its response and would create its own regulatory frameworks.
“The US is flagging their approach. The EU has theirs. A different approach will also be used by Canada. Additionally, our regional partners are looking at this, ” he said.
We will localize where we need to and harmonise where we can, and that is the course of action we will follow. ”
DeepSeek was approached for comment.
… and new inspiration
Australia might take lessons from what DeepSeek has accomplished.
According to reports, DeepSeek, led by former hedge fund co-founder Liang Wenfeng, prioritized research into developing AI over identifying ways to make money by employing top graduates from Chinese universities or those who are relatively young in their careers.
The Tech Council of Australia– whose members include Microsoft, Atlassian, Google and IBM – argued Australia should adopt a similar approach.
“The process that DeepSeek has taken from going from idea to world-leading technology in less than two years, and they’ve done so employing largely new graduates straight out of universities – this is a model that Australia should be following, ” the lobby group ’s head of policy, Harry Godber, said.
At Australian universities, we are home to some of the most outstanding AI research. Additionally, Australian businesses like Atlassian and Canva have engaged in incredible R and D. ”
Australia’s newly appointed chief scientist, Tony Haymet, noted on Tuesday how quickly DeepSeek had changed the conversation around AI.
“Privately funded in Shanghai, a bunch of talented 22-year-olds without access to the world’s best chips, without access to Nvidia chips, seem to have created something that ’s even better than the best companies in the western world have done, ” he said.
By the end of 2025, Husic’s government plans to develop an AI capability plan, as well as mandated guardrails for “high risk ” AI.
The Tech Council’s chief executive, Damian Kassabgi, said Australia stood to benefit from DeepSeek’s demonstrated cost and computing power efficiencies.
He argued, however, that the capability plan wasn’t moving quickly enough as other nations were moving in the AI race.
“ When we look at our R& D investment in Australia, especially business investment, we’re about one-third of that of the US [on GDP spend], ” Kassabgi said. “So we’re not just a little bit behind. ”