Microsoft and OpenAI are investigating whether a group associated with Chinese AI startup DeepSeek accessed OpenAI’s data without authorization. According to Bloomberg News, Microsoft’s security team identified large-scale data transfers last fall through OpenAI’s API, raising concerns about potential misuse.
Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor, alerted the AI firm about the suspicious activity. DeepSeek, known for its low-cost AI models, recently gained prominence after its AI assistant outperformed OpenAI’s ChatGPT on Apple’s App Store in the U.S., leading to a significant drop in tech stock values.
The situation has drawn attention from policymakers, with White House AI and crypto adviser David Sacks suggesting that DeepSeek may have extracted knowledge from OpenAI’s proprietary models, potentially violating intellectual property rights.
OpenAI has acknowledged that foreign firms frequently attempt to replicate its technology and emphasized the need for government cooperation to safeguard advanced AI models.
Microsoft has declined to comment on the investigation, and DeepSeek has not responded to requests for a statement. OpenAI confirmed that it actively works to prevent unauthorized replication of its technology but did not specifically name DeepSeek in its response.
The case highlights growing concerns about AI security and the risks of intellectual property breaches in the competitive AI landscape.
