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Chinese car manufacturers are eager to incorporate the offerings of Chinese AI giant DeepSeek into their new models, a move that could be a security nightmare for Australians.
As reported by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s The Strategist, roughly 20 of China’s major car manufacturers are looking to enter partnerships with DeepSeek, allowing them to incorporate its AI in its new offerings.
Already, BYD, Chery, Geely (which owns Lotus and Volvo), SAIC (which owns LDV and MG) and Great Wall Motors have entered into strategic partnerships with DeepSeek.
Additionally, a number of brands from outside of China, including Volkswagen, Nissan and General Motors, have entered partnerships to offer DeepSeek AI in future models.
While having an AI-integrated car sounds fantastic, DeepSeek’s privacy concerns now extend to the automotive experience.
Modern cars are capable of collecting a large variety of driver data, including location data identifying where you go, how often you go and how long you’re there, driving data such as braking, steering, acceleration, fuel consumption and more, and even biometric data such as fatigue and stress levels.
Cars collect this information through sensors, cameras, connected devices, microphones and more. While most of this data is collected to enhance the driving experience through driver safety and assist features, parking cameras and more, this does not remove the privacy risk collecting this data presents.
In the context of China and its car market, the nature of Chinese security and intelligence legislation means that the data is never truly safe and could be at risk of being accessed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
China is now the largest car producer in the world, thanks to its focus on low-cost, modern vehicles. For example, MG, Chery, and BYD have fought for the position of having Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle. Some of the cheapest new cars in Australia include the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Urban and the MG3, which was around $18,000 drive away when the previous model was introduced only years ago.
As a result, almost 20 per cent of new car sales in 2025 are expected to be of Chinese cars, a major jump from 2019’s 1.7 per cent.
This, then, is a major security concern for Australians and an efficient way for China to potentially collect massive amounts of Aussie data and map out ways to spread influence and more.
This fear of Chinese government breaches of Australian security is very real. Last year, the Australian Signals Directorate called out China’s Ministry of State Security for backing a threat actor known as APT40, which was responsible for a widespread hacking campaign against both Australian public and private sector entities.
Furthermore, we have already seen effective breaches by Chinese state-sponsored APTs overseas, after it was revealed last year that the Volt Typhoon hacking group had accessed US critical infrastructure and remained there for at least five years, using living-off-the-land techniques to remain undetected.
While the above instance allowed the group to position itself to cause chaos and disable systems in the event of a conflict, these APTs have different goals, with some specifically looking to map the Australian public and spread influence.
Looping back, this concern extends to DeepSeek. Prior to the Australian federal government banning the technology for government use, cyber security firm CyberCX warned against allowing DeepSeek to be used in government and critical infrastructure contexts, citing the risk of personal and commercially sensitive data being collected, the very same risks that are generated with a network of Chinese AI-powered cars.
On a more personal level, Chinese influence could also be spread directly to the car’s owner and occupants directly. News alerts could censor details that speak against the CCP or China as a whole, or increasingly discuss points about China.
That being said, it’s no surprise that even non-Chinese car manufacturers are interested in DeepSeek. An AI assistant is something most car manufacturers will look to implement in future models, and DeekSeep’s open-source offering combined with capabilities rivalling OpenAI.
While the government has already banned the use of DeepSeek on government devices and would likely not use these vehicles, the increased adoption of the technology makes it harder for its staff to avoid it. If government staff drive BYD, MG or even Nissan, it could result in the technology presenting a government security risk.
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