A new Chinese generative AI app called DeepSeek has surged to number one on Apple’s App Store, raising concerns about national security and data privacy. Despite its rapid rise, experts warn that the app poses significant risks due to China’s strict government requirements for domestic firms to share data with the PRC.
DeepSeek, created by a Chinese-backed hedge fund, has been downloaded millions of times in just weeks, outpacing OpenAI’s ChatGPT in consumer activity. However, cybersecurity firms have already discovered vulnerabilities in the app that allow for data leaks. Experts say that DeepSeek’s open-source approach could give China access to US-based supply chains, allowing them to learn what companies are doing and better compete against them.
Matt Pearl, a national security expert, believes that the US government may need to regulate or legislate against the app. “The law that was passed doesn’t just apply to TikTok,” he said. “We can ban DeepSeek under the same law that we had to ban TikTok.” Pearl thinks that US tech companies will likely lobby hard for a ban, as they believe it is critical to have U.S. companies at the forefront of AI.
Joe Jones, director of research and insights for The International Association of Privacy Professionals, agrees that disruptors like DeepSeek can make regulatory work more difficult. “It’s challenging for people to do that work when you have proliferating laws that are complex, diverse, and often in tension,” he said.
Brendan Englot, director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the Stevens Institute of Technology, believes that AI is now a global international competition. “We will see breakthroughs all over the world,” he said. The open-source technology approach leveraged by DeepSeek means more disruptions are coming.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/02/why-deleting-chinas-deepseek-ai-may-be-next-for-millions-of-americans.html