Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices over concerns that the Chinese artificial intelligence startup poses security risks, the government said on Tuesday.

Australia issued a statement that requires all government entities to prevent the access, use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services on Australian government systems and mobile devices.

Officials in South Korea and Australia have cited concerns about user data and national security as reasons to block the buzzy AI service from China.

In a move that was widely expected, U.S. lawmakers have proposed a DeepSeek ban on any and all federal government devices. The move may have been prompted by analysis of DeepSeek code that seems to show a direct connection to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Australia has banned DeepSeek AI services from all government systems and devices, becoming one of the first countries to take direct action against a Chinese artificial intelligence startup that shook Silicon Valley and global markets this year.

Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices on the advice of security agencies, a top official said Wednesday, citing privacy and malware risks posed by China's breakout AI program.

Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices and systems over what it says is the security risk the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup poses. DeepSeek stunned the world in January when it unveiled a chatbot which matched the performance level of US rivals, while claiming it had a much lower training cost.

South Korea has reportedly blocked access for some of its ministries to Chinese start-up DeepSeek's AI models amid concerns about national security and data privacy.