As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve rapidly, the emergence of powerful models like DeepSeek V3, developed by a Chinese AI company, has raised significant concerns regarding national security. These concerns go beyond the issues associated with social media platforms like TikTok and delve into the broader, more complex risks posed by advanced AI technologies, particularly open-source models. This survey explores the key national security risks introduced by DeepSeek and similar AI systems, highlighting how these technologies may represent a greater threat than platforms focused solely on data privacy and content sharing.
1. Information Manipulation and Misinformation
- AI-Powered Disinformation Campaigns: One of the greatest risks posed by DeepSeek and other large language models (LLMs) is their ability to generate convincing, human-like text. This capability makes them a powerful tool for spreading misinformation and fake news. These models can create tailored narratives at scale, potentially swaying public opinion, influencing elections, or destabilizing societal trust in institutions. While TikTok was banned largely due to its data-sharing practices, DeepSeek’s role in generating misleading content presents an entirely different threat.
- Deepfake Integration: LLMs like DeepSeek can also be integrated with deepfake technologies, allowing for the creation of audio and video deepfakes. While TikTok is a platform for sharing videos, LLMs can autonomously generate a broader range of fake content that could deceive individuals or manipulate large groups, leading to public confusion or unrest. These technologies could be used for political manipulation, targeted misinformation campaigns, and undermining confidence in public health systems or scientific research.
2. Cybersecurity Threats
- Advanced Phishing and Cyberattacks: Open-source AI models like DeepSeek allow for the development of advanced tools that can enhance cyberattacks. Malicious actors—from cyber criminals to state-sponsored hackers—could use these models to create highly persuasive phishing emails and social engineering tactics, making it harder for individuals and organizations to differentiate between legitimate and fraudulent communications.
- Autonomous Cyber Warfare: Integrating LLMs into cyber warfare raises additional risks. DeepSeek’s ability to analyze vast amounts of data could be used to discover system vulnerabilities or plan cyberattacks autonomously. This ability to conduct AI-driven cyber operations against U.S. government and critical infrastructure represents a significant threat, one that is far more sophisticated and widespread than the risks associated with social media apps like TikTok.
3. Exploitation of U.S. Sensitive Data
- Open-Source Data Harvesting: The open-source nature of DeepSeek allows anyone to download, modify, and deploy the model. This poses a serious risk to data privacy and sovereignty. Adversarial actors could exploit DeepSeek’s capabilities to scrape data from various online sources—such as social media, government databases, and financial systems—to gain sensitive intelligence. This data harvesting could facilitate espionage, manipulation of political decision-making, or financial crimes.
- Targeted Campaigns: Once these systems have gathered sufficient data, they could be used to design highly targeted misinformation campaigns, influencing individuals or groups by manipulating information in ways that are tailored specifically to their preferences, beliefs, or vulnerabilities.
4. Strategic Economic and Military Influence
- Economic Espionage: DeepSeek’s potential to enhance AI-driven technologies at a lower cost than traditional Western systems has serious implications for economic espionage. It enables competitors, particularly state-backed entities, to gain an advantage in critical industries like semiconductors, AI-driven healthcare, and national defense. By bypassing costly research and development, adversaries could access cutting-edge technologies and accelerate their progress in areas that challenge U.S. technological leadership.
- Military Applications of AI: The Chinese government has heavily invested in AI technologies, viewing them as critical to military power. DeepSeek, as a powerful AI model, could be integrated into military applications, such as autonomous weapons systems, data warfare, and strategic analysis of geopolitical dynamics. These technologies could not only challenge U.S. dominance in military AI but also predict U.S. military actions, allowing adversaries to craft counterstrategies that undermine U.S. defense capabilities.
5. Privacy and Surveillance
- Enhanced Surveillance Systems: With the increasing power of models like DeepSeek, there are concerns that AI could be used for mass surveillance. These models could be integrated into AI-powered monitoring systems, enabling governments or corporations to track and predict the behavior of individuals on a massive scale. This seriously impacts privacy rights, especially when data privacy is threatened.
- Erosion of Privacy: Open-source AI models can be modified to enable the extraction of personal information from both public and private datasets. This makes it easier for malicious actors to compromise individuals’ privacy, further exacerbating concerns about data breaches and identity theft.
7. Challenges in Regulation and Oversight
- Need for Robust AI Regulation: The open-source nature of AI models like DeepSeek presents significant challenges for regulation. Traditional regulatory frameworks are not designed to handle the unique risks of open-source, globally accessible AI systems. The U.S. urgently needs to develop laws that specifically address the use of foreign AI technologies within U.S. borders and their potential impact on national security.
- Diplomatic and Trade Tensions: The rapid advancement of AI technologies from China and other nations could exacerbate tensions with the U.S., leading to diplomatic and trade conflicts centered on technology access and control. As these technologies become more integrated into critical systems, concerns about data sovereignty and intellectual property theft may drive U.S. regulatory responses, such as sanctions or even bans on certain foreign technologies.
8. Ethical and Accountability Concerns
- Lack of Accountability: One of the most pressing concerns surrounding open-source AI is the lack of accountability. Once an AI model is released to the public, it isn't easy to track how the model is used, modified, or deployed. In national security contexts, this presents a unique challenge, as malicious actors could leverage these models without being held responsible for the outcomes.
- Unintended Consequences: Using open-source AI models also raises questions about ethical responsibility. The potential for these technologies to be used in ways that violate human rights, manipulate populations, or destabilize governments presents a serious challenge for regulatory bodies to navigate.
Conclusion
While social media platforms like TikTok have posed data privacy and foreign influence concerns, the risks associated with advanced open-source AI models like DeepSeek extend far beyond these issues. The potential for these technologies to manipulate public opinion, enhance cyberattacks, exploit sensitive data, and undermine national security presents challenges that are far more complex and pervasive. By addressing these risks through regulation, increased investment in domestic AI, and international collaboration, the U.S. can better safeguard its national security in an increasingly AI-driven world.
