Artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek is actively supporting China’s military and intelligence operations, according to a senior US official, who also accused the company of attempting to bypass American export controls by using shell companies in Southeast Asia to acquire restricted semiconductors.
The official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said DeepSeek’s actions go far beyond open-source sharing and include direct support to Chinese defence and surveillance efforts. “We understand that DeepSeek has willingly provided and will likely continue to provide support to China’s military and intelligence operations,” the official stated.
The US assessment suggests that DeepSeek’s rapid rise may have been bolstered by unauthorised access to US technologies, casting doubt on claims that its AI reasoning models rival or surpass leading American models at significantly lower costs. In January, the Hangzhou-based startup stunned the tech world by announcing breakthroughs in AI capabilities, positioning itself as a serious global competitor.
DeepSeek is also accused of sharing user data and usage statistics with Chinese authorities, a move that may intensify global concerns over privacy and surveillance. While Chinese law compels domestic firms to cooperate with government data requests, the revelation that DeepSeek may already be feeding information to Beijing’s surveillance infrastructure is likely to alarm its tens of millions of daily users worldwide.
This is the first time the US government’s assessment of DeepSeek’s military ties has been publicly disclosed. It comes amid a broader effort by Washington to limit the flow of sensitive technologies to entities suspected of aiding China’s military-industrial complex, part of the ongoing and escalating US-China trade and tech rivalry.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
