OpenAI debuts ChatGPT Gov for federal agency use

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The new chatbot brings the same capabilities from the public model to government-approved and secure cloud environments for federal workloads.

OpenAI unveiled a new chatbot service specifically tailored to federal agency workloads, announcing ChatGPT Gov on Tuesday as the latest artificial intelligence solution intended for government operations.

ChatGPT Gov, a large language model similar to the company’s original ChatGPT software, specializes in providing U.S. government agencies with a chatbot service specifically tailored to incorporate government materials and documents into its outputs. 

A key distinction of ChatGPT Gov is the integration of OpenAI’s frontier AI models within Microsoft’s Azure services — which are already approved for federal — allowing users to safely run sensitive data and documents through ChatGPT technology.

“By adopting AI, government agencies can work smarter, faster and more creatively,” Kevin Weil, chief product officer at OpenAI, told reporters on Monday evening. “AI has the power to transform how public services are delivered, to improve the efficiency of our operations and to help policymakers better understand and responsibly use the technology to serve the American people.”

ChatGPT Gov is designed to be flexible. Accessed through existing Microsoft Azure cloud platforms, some of the chatbot’s capabilities include analyzing and offering summaries of complex documents and source materials, like foreign language documents.

The system’s compatibility with Microsoft Azure adheres to the government’s existing FedRAMP regulations and requirements for technology procurement and is supported by the security features that already exist in the Azure cloud software. 

“This new approach aims to streamline the authorization process for handling sensitive data while delivering the efficiency and productivity benefits that agencies need, all built on U.S. technology,” Weil said.  “We aim to help expedite internal authorization of OpenAI tools for the handling of non-public sensitive information.”

ChatGPT Gov itself is in the process of getting FedRamp authorization, and will be available “in the very near future,” according to Felipe Millon of OpenAI’s Government Go-To-Market. Millon also said that OpenAI is currently engaging with ongoing potential customer agencies that will benefit from ChatGPT Gov. 

He added that customers with more sensitive data — like defense, intelligence and healthcare agencies — will be top-of-mind.