In a move to safeguard sensitive information, the Finance Ministry has issued an order banning the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including ChatGPT and DeepSeek, on government computers and devices. This decision, made due to concerns about the confidentiality of official data, requires all ministry officers to refrain from downloading or using such applications on their work devices.
A formal directive was sent out last month, instructing all departments within the ministry to avoid using AI tools in office systems. On January 29, the Department of Expenditure reinforced the directive, highlighting the potential risks AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek pose to government data and documents.
This policy aligns with global security concerns regarding the privacy of official data, with countries like Australia and Italy taking similar actions against Chinese AI apps, including DeepSeek, in response to rising fears about data safety.
Meanwhile, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI—the developer of ChatGPT—is currently touring India, engaging with top government officials and industry leaders. In a recent development, DeepSeek, an AI app praised for its affordability and low computational power requirements, overtook ChatGPT as the highest-ranked free app on Apple’s App Store. The app’s ability to operate on significantly lower resources than other AI models like ChatGPT has garnered attention, even as the US tech industry looks on with surprise at its success.
