US Navy Bans DeepSeek AI Assistant Over Security, Ethical Concerns

By Staff, Agencies

The US Navy has issued a ban on the use of DeepSeek's AI Assistant, a technology developed by the Chinese company, over security and ethical concerns.

The directive, sent to sailors via email on Friday, prohibits the use of the AI tool “in any capacity” due to fears related to the origin of the technology and its potential security risks.

Although sailors in Japan reported not receiving the memo as of Wednesday, an unidentified Navy spokesperson confirmed its authenticity.

The ban aligns with a previous Department of Navy memo from September 2023, which cautioned against the use of generative AI in operational environments unless security concerns have been thoroughly investigated and cleared for controlled use.

The memo also highlighted the risks of AI models saving sensitive data, potentially leading to the accidental release of classified information.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the issue, redirecting inquiries to the Navy, while other branches of the US military, including the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, have not yet commented on whether they are considering similar bans.

DeepSeek’s AI Assistant, which launched on January 10, quickly gained popularity, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT to become the top free app on both Google Play and the App Store. The app had garnered over 5 million downloads by Wednesday.

Its rapid success, coupled with its claim of having developed the AI model for only $5.6 million—much less than the billions spent on ChatGPT—has shaken the tech industry, particularly impacting companies like Nvidia, which saw a significant drop in market value.