The Federal Register, the official US government journal for rules and notices, briefly deployed an open-source Chinese AI search tool on its website. The tool was used for a limited time before being taken down, according to Ars Technica. The report does not specify how long the tool was active or what prompted its removal.
The same AI model had previously been flagged by the FBI as malicious, which makes its appearance on a government site notable. The source does not indicate whether the agency that runs the Federal Register was aware of the FBI's assessment before the tool went live, nor does it explain how the tool was selected.
Because there is only one source, there are no conflicting accounts to compare. The key facts are the brief usage, the tool's Chinese open-source origin, and the FBI's prior warning. The article does not state whether any data was exposed or whether the tool was used for anything beyond search functionality.