DeepSeek confiscated employees’ passports because China calls AI Chatbot a “national treasure”: What does that mean?
High-Flyer (the parent company of DeepSeek) is in the process of mastering the passports of multiple employees, especially those of the research and development teams, so they cannot leave China without prior approval. The regulation is reportedly part of the Chinese government’s growing control over companies.
According to the information report, the parent company of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek has seized the passports of several employees, effectively preventing them from traveling abroad.
DeepSeek is an AI-powered chatbot that has recently attracted attention worldwide and competed with the likes of Openai’s Chantgpt and Google’s Gemini – both developed in the United States.
High-Flyer (the parent company of DeepSeek) is in the process of mastering the passports of multiple employees, especially those of the research and development teams, so they cannot leave China without prior approval.
China’s tight grip on DeepSeek
The regulation is reportedly part of the Chinese government’s growing control over the company and is trying to prevent sensitive information from being leaked and key employees leave the company.
Additionally, the government that labeled DeepSeek as a “national treasure” is now playing a direct role in deciding who can invest in AI platforms.
DeepSeek faces criticism for falling under the scope of China’s wide censorship. Chatbots avoid discussing some politically sensitive topics, such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution, etc.
Media reports also show that Chinese authorities have advised AI researchers and business leaders to avoid traveling to the United States, fearing disclosure of confidential data and information due to the so-called AI war rage between the two countries.
DeepSeek is powerful and low-cost
DeepSeek attracted global attention in January after launching its new open source Model R1. The model has won praise and surprised many, as its reported development costs are less than $6 million (about Rs 50 billion), much less than the US companies that cost the U.S. chatbot model.
