U.S. bans AI startup DeepSeek because of ‘threat vectors’ and China responds

China hit back Tuesday at a U.S. ban on Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek’s products for federal civilian agencies, highlighting friction in the two AI powers’ heated technology race.The agencies should remove DeepSeek and its affiliated products, as well as third party products and services developed using DeepSeek, from their IT systems, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice made public on Monday.The department’s order, dating back to late July, also blocks civilian agencies from procuring DeepSeek products and services. DeepSeek is one of China’s leading and best-known AI companies and its open-source models are widely available in countries including the United States. They are mostly free to use.The notice in the Federal Register alleges that DeepSeek’s models “present multiple threat vectors.” It said concerns include that its servers are located in China and that Chinese authorities’ could potentially access private company infrastructure and sensitive U.S. data.In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China will “will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies” when asked at a regular p…

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