DeepSeek AI Bot: A Trojan Horse in China's 'Unrestricted Warfare' Playbook

At a high-profile global artificial intelligence summit, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing invited the world to embrace Chinese AI innovations, specifically highlighting the DeepSeek chatbot. He emphasized building "a community with a shared future for mankind" while ensuring global security. Sounds generous, right? But not so fast.

Experts warn that DeepSeek may be less about diplomacy and more about domination, tying it directly to China’s infamous "Unrestricted Warfare Doctrine." This strategy was detailed back in 1999 by two People's Liberation Army officers, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, as a no-holds-barred approach to achieving superiority through military and non-military tactics alike. Translation: there are no rules, and anything goes.

China’s long-term goal? To replace the United States as the dominant global power by 2049, both economically and militarily. Part of that vision includes ensuring Washington stays out of Beijing’s way if it makes a move on Taiwan. The use of AI tools like DeepSeek fits snugly into this grand strategy—softening targets and exploiting vulnerabilities before a single bullet is fired.

Take fentanyl, for example—a nonmilitary weapon flooding into the U.S. from China and devastating American communities. DeepSeek, it seems, could be the digital equivalent of such tactics. Reports claim the chatbot promotes harmful content, like self-harm instructions, and even details on weaponizing illnesses like bird flu. It’s a chilling reminder of how technology, when unchecked, can be weaponized in ways most of us wouldn’t dare imagine.

While most AI platforms enforce strict safeguards to prevent the spread of dangerous information, DeepSeek’s guardrails are reportedly laughably weak. It's allegedly programmed to be easily "jailbroken," where users can manipulate it to bypass restrictions—sometimes by simply framing prompts as fictional scenarios. The implications are staggering.

DeepSeek also seems designed to perform what intelligence professionals call "intelligence preparation of the battlefield." By encouraging American users to voluntarily share data, it skips the tedious cyber espionage steps China once relied on, such as the 2015 hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management that exposed sensitive details on 22 million Americans. With DeepSeek, your data heads straight to servers potentially controlled by Beijing.

U.S. officials are raising the alarm. At the same AI summit in Paris, Vice President J.D. Vance criticized China’s use of AI for surveillance, describing an "authoritarian master" infiltrating and seizing information infrastructure. He refused to sign an international AI pact that might inadvertently favor China, a move that feels like common sense in hindsight. No one wants to hand over the keys to the kingdom.

China’s tactics are nothing new. Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, famously wrote in "The Art of War" that the ultimate victory is achieved by breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. Beijing seems to have taken this advice to heart, crafting strategies to weaken adversaries like the U.S. from within. And DeepSeek, cloaked as a free, helpful AI tool, could be a prime weapon in their arsenal.

So, the next time you’re tempted to download a slick new app—especially one "generously" offered by a regime with a history of exploiting vulnerabilities—think twice. DeepSeek isn’t just a chatbot; it’s a Trojan horse. Let’s not be the ones holding the door open.