DEEPSEEK
DeepSeek, you're fired
The US government has ordered most civilian federal agencies to remove AI technology from Chinese company DeepSeek, as competition between the US and China over AI continues to grow.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the ban on Monday, although it has been in place since late July.
It covers DeepSeek's AI models and any technology built using them, but does not apply to the Department of Defense.
Here's what else you need to know:
The Trump administration sees China as a major AI competitor, while OpenAI and Anthropic have accused Chinese companies, including DeepSeek, of copying their AI models.
DeepSeek previously said it spent around $6 million training its first model, compared with an estimated $100 million for OpenAI's GPT-4, although the figures cover different costs.
Companies including Snowflake, Vercel and OpenRouter offer DeepSeek models to customers. Its latest release has also received praise online, especially for coding.
The world's most geopolitical uninstall
DeepSeek has become a major player in AI since launching publicly in 2025.
Its open-source models are free to access and much cheaper to use than many competing tools, making them popular with developers and businesses.
The ban comes as US officials and AI companies raise concerns about Chinese competition.
However, the DHS has not explained the specific security risks behind its decision.
Please return your charger to reception. -MG