Sentinel Digital Desk
The Indian finance ministry has advised its employees against using AI tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official work, citing concerns about the confidentiality of government data and documents.
Media reported that the advisory, dated January 29, surfaced on social media on Tuesday, just before OpenAI chief Sam Altman's visit to India on Wednesday, where he is set to meet IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The union finance ministry's advisory stated that AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek on office devices pose risks to the confidentiality of government data and documents.
Three unnamed finance ministry officials confirmed to the agency that the note was authentic and issued internally this week.
Representatives from the finance ministry, OpenAI, and DeepSeek did not respond to the agency's request for comment. It is also unclear if other union ministries have issued similar directives.
Many countries have imposed similar restrictions or warnings on the use of DeepSeek, citing data security concerns.