Researchers find DeepSeek AI generates insecure code for China adversaries
As more companies use AI to generate code for them some AIs are embedding more insecurities and bugs in code that they should be - and bias might be to blame.
Key takeaways
- During tests undertaken by U.S. security firm CrowdStrike, it was observed that code generated for a professed Islamic State militant group computer system contained nearly twice as many flaws as it would otherwise have had.
- One of the key findings, highlighted by the source, is that DeepSeek AI-generated code for a program to run an industrial control system would typically result in 22.8% of the code featuring flaws.
- Refusals to aid those groups would occur 61% and 45% of the time, respectively.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'Researchers find DeepSeek AI generates insecure code for China adversaries', 311 Institute, 31 August. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/researcher-find-deepseek-ai-generates-insecure-code-for-china-adversaries/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Research suggests that your DeepSeek AI results can be of drastically lower quality if you trigger topics that are geopolitically sensitive or banned in China. During tests undertaken by U.S. security firm CrowdStrike, it was observed that code generated for a professed Islamic State militant group computer system contained nearly twice as many flaws as it would otherwise have had. Other potential topics included: Falun Gong, Tibet, and Taiwan, according to a new Washington Post report.
One of the key findings, highlighted by the source, is that DeepSeek AI-generated code for a program to run an industrial control system would typically result in 22.8% of the code featuring flaws. If requested on behalf of an Islamic State project, a DeepSeek user could see that the flaw percentage rises sharply, to 42.1%.
Rather than delivering faulty code, DeepSeek would sometimes refuse to generate code for the likes of professed Islamic State backers or devotees of the spiritual movement Falun Gong. Refusals to aid those groups would occur 61% and 45% of the time, respectively. Notably, both movements are banned in China.
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However, DeepSeek’s perceived reduction of the quality of code, when it is generated for such organizations and others, has surprised some.
“That is something people have worried about - largely without evidence,” Helen Toner, from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, told the Washington Post.
DeepSeek’s reasons behind the downgrading of AI-generated code for purported use in places like Tibet and Taiwan may be less clear-cut. But such code was also less flawed than that generated for the Islamic State, for example.
The Washington Post has sought comment from the makers of DeepSeek regarding CrowdStrike’s research findings, but has yet to get a response. It has a few theories about what might be happening, though…
One of the possibilities the source muses over is that sneakily producing flawed code is a less obvious sabotage technique, used to blunt the energies of foes. It could also provide a wider attack surface for subsequent hacking.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As more companies use AI to generate code for them some AIs are embedding more insecurities and bugs in code that they should be - and bias might be to blame.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Deepseek ai security washingtonpost.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 31 August 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). Researchers find DeepSeek AI generates insecure code for China adversaries. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/researcher-find-deepseek-ai-generates-insecure-code-for-china-adversaries/
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