
Microsoft and OpenAI are investigating whether data from OpenAI’s technology was stolen by individuals linked to the Chinese startup DeepSeek, reports Reuters. Microsoft noticed suspicious activity involving data exfiltration through OpenAI’s API. This follows DeepSeek’s rise in popularity after its AI assistant surpassed ChatGPT on the App Store. They write:
Microsoft and OpenAI are probing if data output from the ChatGPT maker’s technology was obtained in an unauthorized manner by a group linked to Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
Microsoft’s security researchers observed that, in the fall, individuals they believed to be connected to DeepSeek exfiltrating a large amount of data using the OpenAI’s application programming interface (API), the report said.
Microsoft, the largest investor for OpenAI, notified the company of suspicious activity, according to the Bloomberg report.
David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto czar, told Fox News in an interview earlier on Tuesday that it was “possible” that DeepSeek stole intellectual property from the United States.
“There’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models,” Sacks said.
Microsoft declined to comment, while DeepSeek could not be immediately reached for a comment.