UK security officials are raising the alarm about Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, with 81% of CISOs pressing for urgent government regulation. A survey by Absolute Security of 250 CISOs revealed widespread fears that unregulated AI use could fuel a national cyber crisis.

The survey found that 34% of CISOs have already banned AI tools, and 30% have halted specific deployments due to security concerns. Key risks include DeepSeek’s potential to compromise sensitive data and enable cyberattacks. Sixty percent of CISOs anticipate higher attack levels, while 42% now consider AI a greater risk than an asset.

Absolute Security’s Andy Ward warned that tools like DeepSeek are evolving faster than companies can defend against, creating a readiness gap. Nearly half of CISOs admitted their teams are ill-prepared for AI-driven attacks. Without oversight, experts fear broad economic consequences.

However, organisations are not rejecting AI outright. Instead, 84% are increasing AI-related hires, while 80% are training senior leaders, focusing on building internal expertise to deploy AI safely.

Security leaders stress that AI should not be banned but managed responsibly. They call for government regulation, clear frameworks, and national strategy to balance innovation with resilience and avoid AI sparking a crisis.