A new bill has it that individuals in the US using the Chinese AI app DeepSeek might be fined or even end up in jail for 20 years.

The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Josh Hawley and tries to "stop individuals from the United States from advancing artificial intelligence capabilities within the People's Republic of China and for other individuals."

The new bill would impose imprisonment of up to 20 years on violators, as the sale of "technology or intellectual property" that originated in China would be outlawed. Those individuals would receive a $1 million fine, while companies would incur a $100 million fine.

Even though DeepSeek isn't named, this news comes just one week after the Chinese robot became the most popular AI app in the US, which sent US tech prices plummeting.

The people were afraid of security, privacy, and ethics because it became so popular so fast. For instance, DeepSeek was unable to answer questions about issues that were crucial to the Chinese Communist Party.

US President Trump has called the Chinese app DeepSeek a "wake-up call" for the American tech industry. The White House is examining the national security implications of DeepSeek.

The US Navy does not allow its members to use DeepSeek at work or for fun. NASA bans AI technology from government computers and networks.

Several states have also said they may ban DeepSeek. The very first state that banned the use of government gadgets was Texas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated, "Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to come into our state's critical infrastructure through AI and social media applications that collect information."

"Texas will continue keeping and defending our state against wicked foreigners."

Data is stored on DeepSeek computers in China, making it an even bigger threat to businesses and governments than other Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok, security experts say. "DeepSeek is a clear risk to any business whose leaders care about data privacy, security, and openness," said Bill Conner, CEO of automation company Jitterbit and former US government security expert.

DeepSeek is a shared cloud service offered by the organisation operating in China, according to its privacy policy. It also stores data locally. Unknown risks are likely there with regard to data privacy compliance requirements and security controls.