US raises alarm over DeepSeek and AI risks

The United States is stepping up its global messaging on artificial intelligence, warning allies about what it sees as growing efforts by Chinese companies to replicate advanced American AI systems.

A newly revealed diplomatic cable shows the U.S. State Department has instructed embassies worldwide to raise concerns with foreign governments about the “extraction and distillation” of U.S. AI models. The warning specifically mentions DeepSeek, a fast-rising player whose low-cost models have drawn global attention, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

AI distillation allows smaller systems to learn from the outputs of more powerful models, dramatically reducing development costs. Washington argues that this process can also bypass safeguards built into original systems, raising concerns about security, reliability, and misuse.

The push follows earlier warnings from OpenAI, which told U.S. lawmakers that DeepSeek was attempting to replicate leading American AI technologies. Those concerns are now being taken directly to international partners as part of a broader diplomatic effort.

China has firmly rejected the accusations. Its embassy in Washington described the claims as “groundless” and accused the U.S. of trying to slow China’s technological progress.

Despite the controversy, DeepSeek continues to expand rapidly. The company has previewed a new-generation model designed to work with domestic chip technology, highlighting China’s push for greater independence in the AI sector.

The U.S. cable also references other Chinese firms, including Moonshot AI and MiniMax, as part of wider concerns about the industry.

Officials warn that models built through unauthorized distillation may appear competitive on certain benchmarks while lacking the full capabilities of the originals. There are also concerns that safety protocols could be weakened or removed in the process.

The timing adds another layer of tension, coming ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. After a brief period of easing tensions, the dispute signals that the tech rivalry between the two powers is far from settled.

As global investment in AI surges and adoption accelerates, the competition is shifting beyond innovation into questions of control, trust, and influence—turning artificial intelligence into one of the defining battlegrounds of the current geopolitical landscape.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada