Tech Desk 
Mar 18, 2025
Deepseek and OpenAI logos are seen in this illustration taken January 27, 2025. — Reuters
In the latest attempt to curb the popularity of the new Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, US Commerce Department bureaus asked its staffers over the past few weeks not to use the AI chatbot on their government devices.
Citing a message sent by the company to a staffer, Reuters reported that the department attributed the prevention of DeepSeek use on government devices to a ban.
"To help keep Department of Commerce information systems safe, access to the new Chinese AI DeepSeek is broadly prohibited on all GFE," said one mass email to staffers about their government-furnished equipment.
The email added: "Do not download, view, access any applications, desktop apps or websites related to DeepSeek."
Although the email sent to the department employees confirms the implementation of a ban on DeepSeek, the actual extent and application of the ban have not been determined.
It should be noted that the relevantly newer Chinese AI tool took the world by storm shortly after its debut, surpassing popular, very well-established AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini in countless countries.
The magnitude of DeepSeek's skyrocketing fame could be gauged through its first ranking across app marketplaces like Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
