Republicans Press Commerce Department on Security Risks From China’s DeepSeek AI

Seven Republican members of Congress have asked the U.S. Commerce Department to determine whether the Chinese open-source artificial-intelligence model DeepSeek poses national-security risks. In an Aug. 5 letter, the lawmakers urged the department to identify any vulnerabilities that the system could introduce if it were adopted by U.S. companies or integrated into domestic digital infrastructure. The request underscores bipartisan concern in Washington that foreign-developed AI tools might be exploited for espionage, data theft or other malicious activities. While the letter does not specify next steps, the lawmakers said the department should evaluate the model’s code base and recommend safeguards to prevent potential misuse.