Congressman Darin LaHood is spearheading a campaign to prohibit the use of DeepSeek, a Taiwanese artificial intelligence software, on any national government-issued devices.
The Republican from Peoria joined U. S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, in introducing the” No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act”, which would prevent federal employees from using the software on government-owned electronic devices.
The lawmakers cited the Chinese government’s ability to use the software to spy on people and spread propaganda.
” From a national security point, we have to understand China is an attack, and when you look at this game, and you look at DeepSeek, and the immediate connection to the CCP – the Communist Chinese Party – that’s deeply troubling to me, and Congressman Gottheimer, and a number of other people”, said LaHood, who is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Additionally, the Trump administration and security experts have expressed concerns that DeepSeek’s systems may pose a threat to American national security.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated last month that the National Security Council ( NSC ) would look into possible implications for national security from DeepSeek, adding that the administration would “ensure American AI dominance.”
Worries about DeepSeek’s admittance to American customers are also shared by some members of Congress.
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich. ), who chairs the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, stated in a statement on social media that” the United States cannot allow models like DeepSeek to risk our national security and use our technology to advance their AI ambitions. ” We must work to quickly spot stronger export settings on technology essential to DeepSeek’s Artificial system”.
DeepSeek has already been prohibited on federal devices in India, Australia, and South Korea.
The game shook other people’s nerves last week on Wall Street, as worries that China may be catching up with the United States in the AI competition sent tech stocks down.
The China and U. S. are in an arms race over AI, and DeepSeek’s technology uses superior computer chips that cost 20 to 30 times less than leading American firms.
DeepSeek’s entry in the U. S. on Jan. 17 saw it quickly become the most downloaded free apps on Apple Store. California-based Nvidia, which makes chips that energy AI, lost$ 593 billion in market value on the same day, the biggest one-day reduction in history.