US senator wants to fine and jail those who use DeepSeek

The Chinese AI chatbot “DeepSeek” has caused a lot of controversy in recent weeks. Although DeepSeek was launched in 2023, it became popular after the introduction of the “R1” model, which performs just as well as its competitors while using fewer resources. However, the Chinese AI may soon be banned in the US – with fines and imprisonment for those who use it.

The US might ban the Chinese AI DeepSeek

At least that’s what Republican Senator Josh Hawley wants with a new bill filled this week. According to the bill, the idea is to “prohibit United States persons from advancing artificial intelligence capabilities within the People’s Republic of China, and for other persons.”

As reported by The Independent, the proposed law stipulates that anyone violating the restrictions will face fines of up to $1 million and up to 20 years in prison. For businesses caught using Chinese AIs, the fines could reach $100 million. The senator doesn’t directly mention DeepSeek in his bill, but coincidentally it comes just a few days after the chatbot reached the top of the US App Store.

The main argument for banning Chinese AIs would be concerns about “security, privacy, and ethics.” Some also don’t like the fact that DeepSeek doesn’t answer questions on topics related to the Chinese Communist Party. Italy was the first country to ban DeepSeek for privacy reasons, while other countries may soon follow.

In the US, Texas has already banned DeepSeek from government devices. President Donald Trump recently said that the Chinese chatbot is a “wake-up call” for the national tech industry and has reportedly been investigating its impacts on national security.

After DeepSeek’s huge success, the stock price of tech companies like Nvidia plummeted. Even so, there’s no denying the chatbot’s impressive performance. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that “innovation that drives efficiency is a good thing” when asked about Chinese AI.

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.

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