Proposed Law Could Send People to Prison for 20 Years for Using This AI App
By Movieguide® Contributor
Using DeepSeek may earn you prison time and a hefty fine, according to a new law that may be passed.
Last week, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley proposed a bill that could make the new AI chat app illegal, due to concerns over national security and market competition.
The bill aims to “prohibit United States persons from advancing artificial intelligence capabilities within the People’s Republic of China and for other purposes.”
DeepSeek proved that it can match OpenAI’s best bots using only a fraction of the resources. Within days of its release, it was the No. 1 app in the Apple App Store. As word spread, U.S. tech stocks fell by $1 trillion.
Harvard AI research fellow Ben Brooks said this would be “easily the most aggressive legislative action on AI.” It could apply to anyone who uses tech or intellectual property developed in China. Individuals could face a 20-year prison sentence and fines up to $1 million, while companies could face fines up to $100 million.
The bill was “tabled,” which means there’s a good chance it may not pass. Congress is trying to shut off China where it can to maintain U.S. market interests. Some lawmakers argue that Biden’s administration should have acted quicker to implement a ban on AI chip exports to China in 2022.
“Multiple administrations have failed — at the behest of corporate interests — to update and enforce our export controls in a timely manner,” Hawley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in an appeal to Congress. “We cannot let that continue.”
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NASA already banned DeepSeek’s use on its government-issued devices and networks and the U.S. Navy banned any of its members from using it.
There is speculation that DeepSeek was made using the U.S.’s Nvidia AI chips, which are presently banned from being exported to China.
Nvidia experienced its biggest single-day loss last week when tech stocks fell.
Countries including Malaysia, Singapore and the UAE have previously been found to have exported chips to China. A Nvidia spokesperson said many of its customers have business entities in Singapore. The spokesperson stated those entities are used for products that are designed for Western countries.
“We insist that our partners comply with all applicable laws, and if we receive any information to the contrary, act accordingly,” Nvidia said.
Singapore’s trade ministry made a statement that it has no reason to believe that Singapore exported Nvidia chips to China.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with President Trump last week. Neither party has divulged what they discussed in detail. One spokesperson said vaguely, “Jensen and the President discussed the importance of strengthening US technology and AI leadership.”
“I can’t say what’s gonna happen,” Trump said. “We had a meeting. It was a good meeting.”
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