The Pentagon is facing fresh scrutiny after reports emerged that its personnel have been using an early version of the Chinese generative artificial intelligence model DeepSeek for months. The revelation, first reported by Bloomberg, has raised serious national security concerns, with US defense officials scrambling to assess the potential risks associated with the technology.

According to sources cited by Bloomberg, staff within the Department of Defense (DoD) have been downloading and utilizing an earlier version of DeepSeek on their workstations since the fall of 2024. It was only after a recent surge in the AI model’s popularity that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which manages the Pentagon’s IT networks, moved to partially block its usage.

The timing of this revelation is particularly alarming for US defense and intelligence agencies. DeepSeek, developed by a Chinese startup, has positioned itself as a competitive alternative to Western AI models, including OpenAI’s flagship products. Earlier this month, the company released DeepSeek R1, an open-source AI model that reportedly outperforms some of its US counterparts. The accessibility of this model-allowing users to download and run it on their own servers for free-has sparked concerns about national security and corporate competition in the AI sector.

Following the discovery that multiple defense employees had used DeepSeek’s latest chatbot version for at least two days, DISA blocked access to the company’s website on January 28. However, efforts to contain the AI’s spread have been complicated by the fact that thousands of Pentagon employees continue to access DeepSeek via the web platform Ask Sage. This platform, which offers access to multiple AI models, hosts DeepSeek on US-based servers, effectively bypassing direct restrictions.

Pentagon officials are now conducting an internal audit to determine the extent of DeepSeek’s presence within DoD networks. Military cybersecurity experts are working to locate and remove any residual code from China-origin chatbots on employee devices. The Navy has already issued a total ban on the use of DeepSeek, citing both security and ethical concerns. The Air Force, while not directly addressing DeepSeek, has long prohibited the use of sensitive public information in commercial generative AI systems without prior authorization.

DeepSeek’s privacy policy explicitly states that user data is stored on servers in China and falls under Chinese legal jurisdiction. This raises profound security risks for the US military, which handles classified and sensitive information daily. While there is no public evidence that DeepSeek was used for classified work, the potential for data leaks, cyber espionage, and unauthorized access to military insights is a pressing concern.

China has been rapidly advancing in AI development, often bypassing Western-imposed semiconductor restrictions by optimizing existing hardware and software architectures. Despite limited access to cutting-edge US chips, DeepSeek’s creators claim to have developed a competitive AI model for just $6 million, a fraction of the budgets allocated by American AI companies.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has acknowledged the significance of DeepSeek R1’s capabilities, calling it an “impressive model” considering the budget constraints under which it was developed. This has only fueled the ongoing debate over the future of AI dominance, with China appearing to close the technological gap with the US at an alarming rate.

US President Donald Trump has reacted strongly to DeepSeek’s emergence, calling it a “wake-up call” for the American AI industry. His administration has placed artificial intelligence at the forefront of its national security and economic strategy. In response to China’s rapid AI developments, Trump recently announced the launch of the Stargate Initiative, a massive investment project aimed at constructing AI-focused data centers across the country.

With a budget target of up to $500 billion, Stargate is envisioned as the backbone for future AI research, providing computing power and infrastructure to bolster US technological superiority. The initiative aligns with broader efforts to reduce reliance on foreign AI models, particularly those developed in adversarial nations such as China.

The controversy surrounding DeepSeek also coincides with Washington’s push to tighten restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips and computing resources. The Biden administration had previously imposed export controls limiting China’s ability to acquire high-performance semiconductors, and Trump has signaled plans to maintain or expand these restrictions.

The DeepSeek controversy underscores the intensifying technological rivalry between the US and China. AI is not just a commercial or scientific endeavor-it has profound implications for military applications, intelligence gathering, and geopolitical dominance.

The US military has historically relied on American-made AI tools, but the incident with DeepSeek reveals gaps in cybersecurity enforcement and internal monitoring. That Pentagon staff were able to download and use Chinese AI software for months without detection points to weaknesses in IT oversight, potentially exposing the department to foreign cyber threats.

For China, DeepSeek’s rise is a testament to its growing AI prowess. While OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Meta have dominated the Western AI landscape, China has been quietly developing its own suite of powerful generative AI tools. With DeepSeek R1’s performance now rivaling that of leading US models, the global AI landscape is shifting, and Washington is under pressure to respond.

The Pentagon’s exposure to DeepSeek will likely accelerate calls for stricter AI governance policies within the US government. Lawmakers and cybersecurity experts have already pushed for increased regulation of AI tools used within federal agencies, particularly those with potential ties to foreign adversaries.

In the coming weeks, Congress may push for additional funding to enhance AI security within government networks. There is also speculation that Trump’s administration could introduce new executive orders aimed at restricting foreign AI applications, much like previous bans on Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

Additionally, military protocols regarding AI usage will likely be revised to ensure no foreign-origin models can be deployed without rigorous vetting. The Pentagon will need to bolster its cybersecurity training programs to prevent future breaches and unauthorized software downloads.

The DeepSeek controversy highlights the growing stakes in the AI arms race between the US and China. While China has demonstrated remarkable progress in AI development despite trade restrictions, the Pentagon’s inadvertent adoption of DeepSeek serves as a warning about the vulnerabilities in US cybersecurity infrastructure.

With Trump doubling down on AI as a national security priority through the Stargate Initiative, the battle for technological supremacy is set to intensify. The Pentagon’s swift action against DeepSeek may be just the beginning of a broader campaign to curb Chinese AI influence and reinforce American dominance in the field. Whether these efforts will be enough to keep pace with China’s rapid advancements remains an open question, but one thing is certain: the AI race is now a core pillar of global power competition.

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