India bans use of AI tools in government offices
Finance ministry cautions over data privacy issues.
India‘s finance ministry has issued an advisory urging employees to refrain from using AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official tasks, citing concerns over the potential risks to the confidentiality of government data. The directive, dated January 29, highlights the dangers of AI apps on office devices, warning that they could jeopardise the security of sensitive documents and information.
This move comes amid similar actions taken by other countries such as Australia and Italy, which have restricted the use of DeepSeek due to data security concerns. The advisory surfaced just ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s visit to India, where he is scheduled to meet with the IT minister.
Representatives from India’s finance ministry, OpenAI, and DeepSeek have yet to comment on the matter. It remains unclear whether other Indian ministries have implemented similar measures.
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