After workers persisted in using DeepSeek software, the US Pentagon blocked it
The tech conversation over the past week has been about DeepSeek. This open-source AI startup of Chinese origin has been a driving force in the scene, so powerful that it has caused Nvidia to lose a significant amount of money on the stock market, when not long ago it was the most valuable tech company for developing AI chips and its direct impact on the AI industry.
As we can read in Forbes, the Chinese AI that took down Nvidia’s GPU factory and rendered the Stargate project irrelevant now appears to have been banned from the Pentagon. The reason? Although it is considered a national security threat in the US (and elsewhere, like Italy), its employees have not stopped using it.
First, evidence was found that Chinese servers for DeepSeek were accessed from computers belonging to employees of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This access occurred on at least January 24, 25, and 26. On January 28, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) blocked access to DeepSeek on its website, although some computers continued to access it as recently as January 29.
Precisely because of what we mentioned above, DeepSeek stores data on Chinese servers, which are subject to local laws that require it to provide data to its government. According to the site, China could use the data it obtained from Defense Department employees who connected to the AI servers to obtain military secrets or influence operations. This would pose a national security risk.
The DeepSeek ban has raised eyebrows across the military. The U.S. Navy and Air Force have banned their members from using Chinese AI “in any capacity” due to “ethical and security concerns.” The Navy also believes the model poses a “unique risk” to classified information.
However, various branches of the military and the Department of Defense recommend using Ask Sage, a certified platform that allows DeepSeek to be used while bypassing Chinese servers. NASA, the US Congress, and the state of Texas have also banned the use of DeepSeek on their employees’ devices.