President Trump’s commerce secretary nominee, Howard Lutnick, testified on Jan. 29 that China’s DeepSeek developed a powerful AI model at low cost by using stolen US technology and advanced semiconductors.

He emphasized the need for the US to set global AI standards, similar to its cybersecurity framework, to maintain leadership in the field.

Lutnick stressed the importance of establishing standards that other countries follow, ensuring the US remains at the forefront of AI development by adopting a model that is proven to succeed.