Australia bans DeepSeek from government tech on security concern

A threat assessment by Australia’s intelligence agencies found the technology posed an unacceptable risk. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Feb 04, 2025, 08:36 PM

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SYDNEY - Australia has banned DeepSeek AI services from all government systems and devices, becoming one of the first countries to take direct action against a Chinese artificial intelligence start-up that shook Silicon Valley and global markets in 2025.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Feb 4 that all DeepSeek products, applications and services would be removed from government systems on national security grounds effective immediately.

A threat assessment by the country’s intelligence agencies found the technology posed an unacceptable risk, he said.

Founded in Hangzhou only 20 months ago, DeepSeek’s technology made waves in January with a new mobile app featuring its reasoning AI chatbot – which articulates its approximation of thought process and research before delivering a response – that seemed to suggest top-tier AI could be developed without huge investments in hardware.