US Senator Josh Hawley passed a bill to punish US persons using Chinese AI like DeepSeek with prison time and fines.
Specifically, those who violate Chinese AI restrictions could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of from $1 million to $100 million.
Interesting Engineering cited Harvard AI research fellow Ben Brooks, who said it’s “easily the most aggressive legislative action on AI.”
The Chinese AI threat
DeepSeek fallout: Hawley seeks to cut off all US-China collaboration on AI development
“Every dollar and gig of data that flows into Chinese AI are dollars and data that will ultimately be used against the United States,” said Hawley.https://t.co/iYbCxccP4g
— Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) January 29, 2025
Sen. Hawley’s new bill emphasizes the United States’ growing concerns over China’s military-civil fusion strategy.
The Debrief requires Chinese companies to share technological advancements with the country’s military.
Authorities argue that reliance on Chinese AI products like DeepSeek could allow Beijing to harvest massive amounts of US data.
As a result, China could gain a competitive advantage in AI-driven warfare and manipulate digital ecosystems worldwide.
“Every dollar and gig of data that flows into Chinese AI are dollars and data that will ultimately be used against the United States,” Sen. Hawley said in a statement.
“America cannot afford to empower our greatest adversary at the expense of our own strength,” he added.
“Ensuring American economic superiority means cutting China off from American ingenuity and halting the subsidization of CCP innovation.”
The US bill also follows the sudden rise of DeepSeek, an open-source AI chatbot that can function without an internet connection.
Its namesake parent company shook US markets after revealing it only $5.6 million in development.
In comparison, Western AI companies like OpenAI have invested billions into developing their models.
In response, US President Donald Trump urged the tech sector to develop low-cost AI solutions:
“The release of DeepSeek, AI from a Chinese company, should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser-focused on competing to win.”
The Philippines and other countries are responding to the Chinese AI threat.