The US government on Monday ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence (AI) tools from the Chinese startup DeepSeek , as the countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector.

A notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek – and tools created using DeepSeek by third parties – saying they must be removed from IT devices.

The DHS can issue direction to civilian agencies but not the military or intelligence services. The US defense department did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

“DeepSeek’s models present multiple threat vectors,” said a document attached to Monday’s notice.

Use of DeepSeek AI tools “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to [China] if used by US government employees or vendors”, the department warned.

Its servers are located in China, where the legal system permits the government “extensive authority” to access private company infrastructure, it said.

DeepSeek has been contacted for…