China is reportedly increasing its scrutiny of homegrown artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, viewing it as a potential tech success story amid rising global competition.
The Beijing-based company has come under tighter government-influenced restrictions following its rapid rise in January with the launch of its open-source “reasoning” model, R1, The Information reported.
Some employees are reportedly facing travel restrictions, while the government is now involved in screening potential investors.
DeepSeek’s parent company, quantitative hedge fund High-Flyer, is said to be enforcing these travel limitations by holding onto certain employees’ passports.
The heightened oversight comes amid broader efforts by the Chinese government to safeguard its AI advancements. Recent reports indicate that authorities have advised AI researchers and entrepreneurs to avoid traveling to the U.S. to prevent the risk of trade secrets being leaked.
