Following the sharp rise in the popularity of DeepSeek’s AI models, the company has attracted the attention of Chinese authorities. Employees are now working under stricter conditions, reports The Information, citing sources.
According to the publication, some employees have been prohibited from freely traveling abroad. Additionally, the government is scrutinizing potential investors in the company.
Travel restrictions have been implemented by confiscating passports. The parent company, High-Flyer, has been compelled to store employees’ documents.
The travel ban aims to prevent the leakage of “confidential information that may constitute commercial or even state secrets,” writes The Information.
In March, OpenAI recommended that the US government ban AI models from the Chinese lab DeepSeek, as the project is “state-subsidized” and “state-controlled.”
Earlier, Sam Altman’s startup suspected the Chinese firm of information theft.