India’s finance ministry has instructed its employees to refrain from using AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official work. The ministry cited concerns regarding the confidentiality of government documents and data in an internal advisory.
Other countries, including Australia and Italy, have also implemented similar restrictions on DeepSeek due to data security concerns. Reports about this advisory emerged on social media prior to OpenAI chief Sam Altman’s scheduled visit to India, where he will meet with the IT minister.
The advisory, dated January 29, states, “It has been determined that AI tools and AI apps (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek etc.) in the office computers and devices pose risks for confidentiality of (government) data and documents.”
Officials from the Indian finance ministry have confirmed that the note is authentic and was issued internally this week.
Reuters has not yet confirmed if other Indian ministries have received similar directives.
OpenAI currently faces scrutiny in India due to a copyright infringement dispute with major media companies. The company has stated in court filings that it does not operate servers in India and believes Indian courts should not handle the case.
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