People in the US who use the Chinese AI program DeepSeek could be subject to hefty penalties or possibly jail time under a recently proposed rule.
In order to "prohibit United States persons from advancing artificial intelligence capabilities within the People's Republic of China, and for other persons," Republican Senator Josh Hawley filed the measure.
Anyone who violates the new law could spend up to 20 years in prison. It would prohibit the importation of "technology or intellectual property" created in China. Businesses might face fines of up to $100 million, while individuals could face fines of up to $1 million.
It doesn't specifically reference DeepSeek, but it was released barely a week after the Chinese chatbot overtook the US as the most popular AI program, sending US tech stocks into a tailspin.
DeepSeek's incapacity to respond to inquiries regarding subjects sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party was one of the security, privacy, and ethical issues raised by its unexpected popularity.
US President Donald Trump described the Chinese app as a “wake-up call” for the American tech industry, with the White House reportedly evaluating the impacts of DeepSeek on national security.
The United States Navy has already banned its members from using DeepSeek for either work-related tasks or personal use, while Nasa has forbidden the AI technology on government-issued devices and networks.
Several states have also signalled that they are mulling a DeepSeek ban. Texas became the first to implement a ban on government devices.
“Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our state's critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“Texas will continue to protect and defend our state from hostile foreign actors.”
Security experts have also warned that DeepSeek could pose an even greater threat to businesses and governments than other Chinese-owned apps like TikTok, as data is stored in servers in China.
“DeepSeek represents a clear risk for any enterprise whose leadership values data privacy, security and transparency,” said Bill Conner, chief executive of automation firm Jitterbit and former security advisor to the US government.
“As stated in their own privacy policy, DeepSeek is a shared cloud service run in China with data being stored in China – potentially introducing unknown risks to data privacy, compliance mandates and security controls.”
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