U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI has called the Chinese AI model DeepSeek a "significant risk" and has urged the U.S. government to take action against it.

In a 15-page letter submitted to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on March 13, OpenAI's vice president of Global Affairs, Chris Lehane, acknowledged that while the U.S. currently leads in AI development, DeepSeek's rapid progress suggests that this advantage is shrinking.

Lehane claimed that DeepSeek's use in critical infrastructure and other high-risk applications could pose security threats, alleging it may be subject to "manipulation by the Chinese government." He also accused DeepSeek of "intellectual property theft" and warned that its users could face privacy and security risks.

The letter was part of OpenAI's response to the U.S. government's request for input on its "AI Action Plan." OpenAI proposed a tiered framework that would limit access to advanced AI models and technology for certain countries, including China.