The development of DeepSeek demonstrates why the UK must “go further and faster to remove barriers to innovation” in the AI sector, Downing Street has said.

Asked whether the government would be open to using Chinese AI such as DeepSeek in Whitehall, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “We’ve got some of the strongest data protection laws in the world and we will always ensure personal data and the operation of public services is handled responsibly and securely.

“But more broadly on the developments over the last few days, the rapid development and breakthrough of new AI models demonstrates exactly why the UK is so focused on AI and why we need to go further and faster to remove barriers to innovation here to make the UK a more competitive market.

“And whilst we’ve already got the third largest AI market in the world, we’ve got an opportunity to get ahead and do more, and that’s what our AI Opportunities action plan is all about.”

The spokesman added he would not “get ahead of specific models” when asked whether he would rule out using Chinese AI in Whitehall.