NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Finance has instructed its employees to avoid the use of AI tools and applications like ChatGPT and DeepSeek on office computers and devices.
In a notice sent to all departments last month, the ministry emphasized that using these AI tools and applications is strictly forbidden on government devices. The Ministry’s Department of Expenditure, in a memo dated January 29, highlighted that AI tools and applications on office devices present risks regarding the confidentiality of data and documents.
“It has been determined that AI tools and applications (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, etc.) on office computers and devices pose risks to the confidentiality of government data and documents,” stated the memo.
Additionally, Australia and Italy have also taken measures to protect their official systems from DeepSeek due to concerns about privacy and data security.
This development occurs as OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, embarks on a tour in India and engages in discussions with senior government officials and industry leaders. He participated in a fireside chat on Wednesday morning.
DeepSeek’s latest AI offering, priced at around $6 million, has attracted global attention for its affordability compared to the typical costs of billions of dollars associated with renowned AI models. Furthermore, DeepSeek’s R1 requires only a fraction of the computational power used by models like ChatGPT.
Recently, the US tech industry, which has consistently justified substantial investments in AI, watched with surprise as DeepSeek overtook ChatGPT as the most popular free application on Apple’s App Store.
