Florida CFO Bans DeepSeek From State’s Department of Financial Services

‘AI can be a huge resource for good, but it can also be a weapon if it’s in the wrong hands,’ says CFO Jimmy Patronis in a statement.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis in April 2022. Courtesy of Jimmy Patronis

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, on Feb. 20, banned the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek at Florida’s Department of Financial Services because it “presents a major national security risk, as it is designed to capture massive amounts of user data—including highly personal information—that is vulnerable to the Chinese Communist Party.”

“Artificial intelligence is the new ‘Space Race,’ and as it grows in popularity, I will not allow sensitive Department information to be compromised through a Chinese AI app that can harm Floridians,” Patronis said in a statement. “President Trump said DeepSeek was a wake-up call, and he’s absolutely right.”