India’s finance ministry has issued an advisory prohibiting employees from using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official purposes. The internal directive, dated January 29, mentions concerns over these AI-powered applications regarding government documents and data confidentiality.
The advisory explicitly states that AI tools, when accessed via office computers and devices, could compromise sensitive government information, reports The Economic Times. This marks a growing global trend of governments reevaluating their stance on AI-assisted work environments, with similar restrictions imposed by countries like Australia and Italy due to data security risks associated with DeepSeek and other AI models.
While the timing has sparked speculation about the broader implications of AI governance in India, there has been no official comment regarding the directive from OpenAI, DeepSeek, or the finance ministry.
Three finance ministry officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed the advisory’s authenticity, stating that it was circulated internally this week. The decision comes on the heels of a recent announcement by the Indian government to develop competitive AI within eight to ten months.
For this, the government of India has approved 18 proposals that will receive extensive support, including access to computing infrastructure, financial assistance, and critical datasets.
One of the primary reasons governments worldwide are apprehensive about using AI tools is that the servers are located only in a few countries, such as the United States and China. This raises questions about data sovereignty and confidentiality, especially when handling sensitive government documents.
India’s move follows a series of global regulatory efforts to establish AI governance frameworks. The European Union has been leading discussions on AI regulations, while the United States has issued executive directives on AI safety and security.
The private sector, especially media publications, is also quite anti-AI. This can be seen from the fact that the AI companies are facing multiple lawsuits by media publications alleging copyright violations. In India, news networks like ANI, NDTV, Network18, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and members of the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) also initiated legal against OpenAI.
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