Recent online reports claim that Marriott has instructed employees to uninstall the Chinese AI application DeepSeek within a specified timeframe or face restrictions on accessing internal emails, management systems, and other core tools.
Marriott has neither confirmed nor denied these reports.
But even if the reports are accurate, Marriott's decision is likely driven by data security concerns rather than a specific targeting of DeepSeek.
Marriott executives have previously expressed caution regarding technology applications that handle customer data.
The company has paid a "hefty tuition" in data security:
Between 2014 and 2020, Marriott faced multiple major data breaches, ultimately agreeing to a USD 52 million settlement with all 50 U.S. states and territories.
AI applications like DeepSeek offer powerful data possessing and generation capabilities but also come with potential security risks. This move appears to be a standard corporate information security measure rather than discrimination against the Chinese market.
