South Korea has banned new downloads of China’s DeepSeek synthetic intelligence (AI) chatbot, in step with the rustic’s non-public knowledge coverage watchdog.
The federal government company stated the AI style will change into to be had once more to South Korean customers when “enhancements and therapies” are made to make sure it complies with the rustic’s non-public knowledge coverage rules.
Within the week after it made world headlines, DeepSeek changed into massively fashionable in South Korea jumping to the highest of app shops with over 1,000,000 weekly customers.
However its upward thrust in reputation additionally attracted scrutiny from international locations around the globe that have imposed restrictions at the app over privateness and nationwide safety considerations.
South Korea’s Private Knowledge Coverage Fee stated the DeepSeek app changed into unavailable on Apple’s App Retailer and Google Play on Saturday night.
It got here after a number of South Korean authorities companies banned their staff from downloading the chatbot to their paintings gadgets.
South Korea’s performing president Choi Sang-mok has described Deepseek as a “surprise”, that would affect the rustic’s industries, past AI.
Regardless of the suspension of recent downloads, individuals who have already got it on their telephones will be capable of proceed the usage of it or they are going to simply get right of entry to it by way of DeepSeek’s web site.
China’s Deepseek rocked the era trade, the markets and The usa’s self belief in its AI management, when it launched its newest app on the finish of closing month.
Its fast upward thrust as one of the crucial global’s favorite AI chatbots sparked considerations in numerous jurisdictions.
Apart from South Korea, Taiwan and Australia have additionally banned it from all authorities gadgets.
Italy’s regulator, which in short banned ChatGPT in 2023, has carried out the similar with DeepSeek, which has been requested to handle considerations over its privateness coverage prior to it turns into to be had once more on app shops.
In the meantime, lawmakers in the USA have proposed a invoice banning DeepSeek from federal gadgets, mentioning surveillance considerations.
On the state-government stage, Texas, Virginia and New York, have already presented such laws for his or her staff.
DeepSeek’s “massive language style” (LLM) has reasoning features which can be related to US fashions equivalent to OpenAI’s o1, however reportedly calls for a fragment of the associated fee to coach and run.
That has raised questions concerning the billions of greenbacks being invested into AI infrastructure in the USA and in other places.
Further reporting by way of Jean Mackenzie in Seoul
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