Hochul Bans Viral AI Application for Some New York Workers

In a matter of months, AI has practically become a common use for nearly everyone. Even if you're not someone who goes out of their way to use ChatGPT or Gemini, simply Googling something will first bring you an AI-generated answer as your first result these days.

Despite AI taking the world by storm, there are a ton of information safety concerns that many are beginning to wade through. These concerns only intensified when DeepSeek came to the scene.

What Is DeepSeek?

The Chinese AI swing DeepSeek immediately became a major talking point around the world. It quickly topped app download charts and even "caused US tech stocks to sink" in early January when it initially dropped according to The BBC.

DeepSeek is essentially China's response to ChatGPT. The element that's caused such a stir according to Reuters is the fact that the cost of DeepSeek is significantly less than that of really any other AI model that exists to date while maintaining a similar standard of quality.

On the heels of the Paris AI Summit attended by world leaders including US Vice President JD Vance, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is taking steps to safeguard New York State from any potential security threats involving DeepSeek AI.

New York Takes Preemptive Security Measures

Despite its global popularity, Governor Hochul shared in a press release on Monday, February 10th that there are a number of "serious concerns" when it comes to the new DeepSeek AI.

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Governor Hochul has maintained that New York is not against AI. It simply wants to ensure that the tool is used responsibly and can be trusted to protect the privacy of New Yorkers.

In regards to the concerns over DeepSeek AI, the press release shares,

"Serious concerns have been raised concerning DeepSeek AI’s connection to foreign government surveillance and censorship, including how DeepSeek can be used to harvest user data and steal technology secrets."

As a result of these concerns, Governor Hochul has launched a new ban on DeepSeek AI for all government devices and networks.