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Senate Bill Targets Protection of Federal Data Against Foreign AI Threats
Senators Cassidy and Rosen introduced a bill to block federal use of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI platform posing national security risks. The act protects sensitive government data from foreign adversaries.
Senate Bill Targets Federal Data Protection Against Adversarial AI
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) have introduced the Protection Against Foreign Adversarial Artificial Intelligence Act of 2025. The bill aims to safeguard federal data from adversarial AI technologies like DeepSeek, which pose national security risks.
DeepSeek is of particular concern because Chinese law requires it to share collected data with the Chinese government. The legislation would bar companies from using DeepSeek when fulfilling contracts with federal agencies.
Protecting Sensitive Federal Data
Senator Cassidy emphasized the dual-use nature of AI: “AI is a powerful tool which can be used to enhance things like medicine and education. But in the wrong hands, it can be weaponized.” He pointed out that feeding sensitive data into systems like DeepSeek effectively arms China.
Senator Rosen added, “This bipartisan legislation would prevent federal contractors from using DeepSeek, a CCP-linked AI platform, when carrying out government work.” She stressed the need to protect American data and government systems from foreign cyber threats.
Key Provisions of the AI Bill
- The act would require the Secretary of Commerce to collaborate with the Secretary of Defense to submit a congressional report on national security and economic espionage threats posed by AI platforms from China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia.
- It authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to grant waivers for national security or research purposes.
- In February, Senator Rosen co-sponsored related legislation aiming to ban DeepSeek from all government devices and networks to prevent data collection and sharing with the Chinese government.
This legislation reflects a clear federal priority: preventing foreign adversaries from exploiting AI technologies to access sensitive government information.
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