Taipei [Taiwan] November 20 : Taiwan has formally prohibited the use of Chinese-developed artificial intelligence systems in all government agencies, citing escalating cybersecurity and disinformation threats linked to China's expanding digital footprint. The move was confirmed by Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Isabel Hou, as reported by The Taipei Times.
According to The Taipei Times, the decision follows an extensive investigation conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB), which found that several popular Chinese AI models contained significant security risks. The NSB concluded that models such as DeepSeek, Doubao, Yiyan, Tongyi and Yuanbao regularly produce content aligned with Chinese Communist Party messaging, including historical distortions and politically charged narratives. During a legislative session at the Economics Committee, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Jui-lung questioned whether the Ministry of Digital Affairs had been tracking the cybersecurity challenges posed by China-made language models.
Hou responded that the ministry has already developed a comprehensive set of evaluation tools and security-testing guidelines, which have been distributed to administrative units throughout the government. These frameworks were also used by the NSB to conduct its assessment, she stated. Hou further noted that Taiwan's Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Center had run its own independent tests and reached similar conclusions. These findings reinforce long-standing concerns that Chinese technology platforms could be exploited to influence public opinion or penetrate government networks, as highlighted by The Taipei Times.
The deputy minister added that the government will continue warning citizens, private companies and public institutions about the risks associated with Chinese generative AI systems. When asked whether Taiwan might move toward a complete ban similar to those enacted by several other countries, Hou said the option remains open "within the boundaries of legal authority." The development highlights Taiwan's growing effort to counter Beijing's digital infiltration strategies at a time when cross-strait tensions remain high, as reported by The Taipei Times.
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