The fast-rising Chinese AI lab DeepSeek is sparking national security concerns in the U.S., over fears that its AI models could be used by the Chinese government to spy on American civilians, learn proprietary secrets, and wage influence campaigns. In her first press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the National Security Council was "looking into" the potential security implications of DeepSeek. This comes amid news that the U.S. Navy has banned use of DeepSeek among its ranks due to "potential security and ethical concerns." DeepSeek, which currently tops the Apple App Store in the U.S., marks a major inflection point in the AI arms race between the U.S. and China. For the last couple years, many leading technologists and political leaders have argued that whichever country developed AI the fastest will have a huge economic and military advantage over its rivals. DeepSeek shows that China's AI has developed much faster than many had believed, despite efforts from American policymakers to slow its progress.

Everyone is talking about AI, it seems. But if you feel overwhelmed or uncertain about what the hell people are talking about, don't worry. Melissa Heikkilä, our senior AI reporter, asked some of the best journalists in the business to share their top tips on how to talk about AI with confidence. Given that they spend their days obsessing over the tech, listening to AI folks and then translating what they say into clear, relatable language with important context, it's fair to say they know a thing or two about what they're talking about. Read the full story to learn the seven things you ought to pay particular attention to when talking about AI.