The foreign, defense and trade ministries have blocked access to the Chinese artificial intelligence(AI) service DeepSeek on their employees’ work computers due to security concerns.

According to government officials on Wednesday, the ministries restricted access to DeepSeek at their own discretion on computers that connect to external networks. 

The three ministries deal with sensitive classified information on foreign affairs and trade. 

The ban comes amid concerns about the potential for leaks of sensitive information when using the Chinese generative AI service. 

Meanwhile, the interior ministry sent an official document to the central government and 17 local governments the previous day, urging public officials to exercise caution when using generative AI apps, including DeepSeek, ChatGPT and other programs.