South Korea’s Ministry of Industry has temporarily restricted employee access to the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek due to security concerns, as reported by a ministry official on Wednesday. This move comes as the government advises caution regarding the use of generative AI services.
On Tuesday, the government issued a directive urging various ministries and agencies to be wary of AI services, including DeepSeek and ChatGPT, in their operations.
Earlier this month, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a state-owned enterprise, also prohibited the use of AI services like DeepSeek.
Additionally, the defense ministry has restricted access to DeepSeek on military computers, as confirmed by officials on Thursday.
The foreign ministry has limited access to DeepSeek on computers that connect to external networks, according to Yonhap News Agency, although it did not specify the exact security measures in place.
DeepSeek has not yet responded to requests for comment via email.
It remains unclear whether any actions have been taken against ChatGPT by the ministries.
This ban positions South Korea as the latest government to express concerns or impose restrictions on DeepSeek.
This week, both Australia and Taiwan have prohibited DeepSeek from all government devices due to fears that the Chinese AI startup may pose security threats.
In January, Italy’s data protection authority mandated that DeepSeek block its chatbot in the country after the startup failed to address privacy policy concerns raised by the regulator.
Other governments in Europe, the U.S., and India are also investigating the implications of utilizing DeepSeek.
South Korea’s information privacy watchdog intends to inquire with DeepSeek about its management of users’ personal information.
The recent launch of DeepSeek’s latest AI models last month has created a stir in the tech industry, with the company claiming its models rival or exceed those developed in the United States while being produced at a significantly lower cost.
Kakao Corp, a South Korean chat app operator, has advised its employees to avoid using DeepSeek due to security concerns, as confirmed by a spokesperson on Wednesday. This announcement came just a day after the company revealed its collaboration with the prominent generative AI firm OpenAI.
In light of recent developments, South Korean tech companies are exercising greater caution regarding the use of generative AI. SK Hynix, a producer of AI chips, has limited access to generative AI services, permitting usage only when absolutely necessary, according to a spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Naver, a leading web portal in South Korea, has instructed its employees to refrain from using generative AI services that store data externally.
