UK Says Approach on Chinese AI Will Protect National Security

Alex Morales
·1-min read

(Bloomberg) -- The UK government vowed to protect national security and public services as it assesses new developments in artificial intelligence such as the new app unveiled earlier this month by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.

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“We will always monitor the emergence of new apps and take an approach which protects national security,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, told reporters in London on Tuesday, promising also to protect public services.

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DeepSeek’s mobile app has surged to the top of the iPhone download charts in the US after its release in early January, causing global technology stocks to tumble on Monday as investors processed its potential implications for US-based rivals and AI hardware suppliers such as Nvidia Corp. The company, founded just over a year ago, develops AI models that are open-source, meaning the developer community at large can inspect and improve the software.

Pares said the UK has “very robust and secure” rules for the use of technology and that the ability of government devices to download apps is restricted. He referred questions about the safety of DeepSeek’s technology to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. “The UK has got some of the strongest data protection laws,” he said. “All companies must abide by these laws and can face enforcement action.”

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