The Chinese government has confiscated the passports of employees at AI startup DeepSeek and banned them from traveling abroad due to concerns over information leaks, TechCrunch and other outlets reported on the 22nd, citing the US IT media The Information.
TechCrunch stated that after DeepSeek unveiled its inference model R1 in January, causing a global sensation, the company has come under new and stringent control measures imposed by the Chinese government.
DeepSeek's parent company, hedge fund Highflyer, has confiscated the passports of key employees, focusing on research and development (R&D).
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 1st that the Chinese government advised AI researchers and entrepreneurs to avoid visiting Western countries such as the United States due to concerns about confidential information leaks. Liang Yuanfeng, founder of DeepSeek, was invited to the 3rd AI Action Summit held last month in Paris, France, but declined the invitation.
The Chinese government is also known to play a direct role in deciding which companies invest in DeepSeek. Some reports suggest that the Chinese leadership has referred to DeepSeek as a "national treasure."
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