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The bill could lead to up to 20 years of jail time and fines of $1 million for individuals and $100 million for companies.
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US Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, introduced legislation to prohibit the import and export of artificial intelligence technology to and from China, citing national security concerns.
The bill, titled the Decoupling America’s Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act, does not directly mention the Chinese AI company DeepSeek but aims to protect US intellectual property and prevent foreign competitors from accessing technology that could pose a security threat.
If the bill becomes law, it would prohibit Americans and companies in the US from downloading DeepSeek, an AI-powered chatbot that functions similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Excerpt of the bill introduced by Senator Josh Hawley. Source: senate.gov
Hefty fines for individuals and companies
Under the proposed bill, violations would carry severe penalties. Individuals could face fines of up to $1 million, while companies could be fined up to $100 million.
Source: Josh Hawley
In addition, violators would be forced to forfeit any “license, contract, subcontract, grant or public benefit awarded by any Federal agency.” The bill also carries a punishment of up to 20 years in jail for violators.
In a news release, Hawley said that every dollar and gig of data that goes into Chinese AI will be used against the US. He added:
“America cannot afford to empower our greatest adversary at the expense of our own strength. Ensuring American economic superiority means cutting China off from American ingenuity and halting the subsidization of CCP innovation.”
If the bill becomes law, Americans would not be allowed to import or export AI tech to and from China. It would also prohibit US companies from conducting AI research in China or collaborating with Chinese companies on AI. Furthermore, it would prohibit US companies from investing in AI development in China.
The rise of DeepSeek AI has ignited global data privacy concerns, with Italy banning the AI chatbot after deeming its data protection measures “insufficient.” Other regulators have followed Italy’s footsteps, demanding DeepSeek developers submit its data practices.
This article first appeared at Cointelegraph.com News
