(The Center Square) − Public schools, universities, and state agencies in Louisiana are prohibited from using artificial intelligence programs developed or operated by hostile foreign governments, Gov. Jeff Landry said Monday.
He signed an executive order to make it happen. Those banned include the Chinese Communist Party.
The order specifically prohibits the use of free AI tools such as DeepSeek, a Chinese-made platform that federal officials have warned poses espionage and propaganda risks.
The order directs all agencies to seek approval from the state’s chief information officer before using any artificial intelligence technology. It temporarily halts new contracts until statewide security policies are in place.
Landry said the measure is designed to “protect Louisiana students, universities, and state agencies from the dangerous influence of Communist Chinese artificial intelligence systems.”
The move follows national security warnings about China’s growing control over global data and connected technologies. A recent report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace outlines how Chinese firms’ access to U.S. data through software, connected devices, and artificial intelligence could enable espionage, influence operations and cyberattacks.
Congress and federal agencies have taken similar steps in recent years. The U.S. Department of Commerce and multiple states have already banned DeepSeek from government networks, citing findings from the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. It says the software manipulates information to align with propaganda and funnels user data back to servers in China.
Those servers are subject to Chinese cybersecurity and intelligence laws requiring companies to share information with state authorities.
Under Landry’s order, no state agency may acquire or license artificial intelligence software before Dec. 15 until the chief information officer issues statewide policies governing artificial intelligence acquisition and data management.
Agencies must also inventory any existing artificial intelligence contracts and cleanse datasets of errors or sensitive information before using them in machine-learning systems.
Until the policies are finalized, agencies are prohibited from uploading personally identifiable information, property details, or any confidential, proprietary, or restricted data into artificial intelligence systems. The directive emphasizes that “AI is only as good as the information you put into it – garbage in, garbage out.”
The order authorizes Louisiana’s Office of Technology Services to lead implementation and ensure all state entities comply. Presidents of universities and colleges are also warned that “programs like DeepSeek … have no place in our universities.”