U.S. Lawmakers Demand Probe Into China’s DeepSeek AI Over National Security Concerns

Republican senators have called for a Commerce Department investigation into Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, citing potential risks posed by its open-source R1 model. The lawmakers allege the technology could compromise U.S. user data and bolster China's military capabilities.

The August 1 letter, spearheaded by Senator Ted Budd, claims DeepSeek's architecture enables unauthorized access to model weights—a feature that could be exploited for surveillance purposes. Seven additional senators joined the demand for scrutiny of data flows, possible backdoors, and licensing compliance.

While the open-source nature of R1 promotes developer collaboration, security experts warn such accessibility may inadvertently expose enterprise systems to vulnerabilities. The debate underscores growing tensions in AI development between innovation and national security imperatives.