In the U.S. state of Texas, the use of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) applications, including DeepSeek, has been banned on government devices.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued orders prohibiting the use of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek, along with other AI applications from China. With this decision, Texas has become the first U.S. state to impose a ban on a popular artificial intelligence chatbot.
Governor Abbott has also announced a ban on another well-known Chinese application, Shuang Shu, from government devices. This app is referred to as Red Note in the U.S. Similarly, the Lemon8 application has also been restricted.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Governor Abbott said that Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to collect data through AI and social media apps and infiltrate government infrastructure. “Today, I have directed state agencies to ban Chinese government-backed AI and social media apps from all state devices. We will protect Texas from the enemy,” he declared.
It is worth noting that the Chinese AI app DeepSeek has gained sudden popularity in the U.S. in recent weeks, surprising the local AI community. Meanwhile, Lemon8, which has now been banned on government devices in Texas, is also a ByteDance application, just like TikTok. This app gained traction in the U.S. last month following restrictions on TikTok.
It should be noted that TikTok has not only been banned in Texas but also in several other U.S. states, and the federal government has already prohibited its use on government devices.
