OpenAI CEO exhorts ‘critical’ government AI adoption in DC
Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, attends a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Agencies will have access to a 50% consumption-based discount on ChatGPT models starting on Oct. 1.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told federal officials the government needs to “keep pace” with the speed of artificial intelligence and should adopt the technology during a Thursday event at the company’s Washington, D.C., office.
“We really want to enable the government with this technology. We think it's critical that the government keeps pace [with] the change and stays more capable as time goes on. We really want to be sure the government understands this technology,” Altman said at the event.
“I think the government is going to be called on for some extraordinary responses and decisions in the coming few years, and having familiarity and adoption of this technology, I think, will help make much better decisions,” he added.
Officials from over two dozen cabinet agencies and federal entities using ChatGPT tools attended the event, according to an OpenAI spokesperson.
The remarks come weeks after OpenAI and the General Services Administration announced a new, consumption-based OneGov discount for federal agencies to deploy ChatGPT models.
The 50% discount on token-based usage includes free platform access and becomes available on Oct. 1. It replaces an existing OneGov deal of $1 per year per agency that expires on Sept. 30.
Some procurement experts have raised concerns that agencies will be saddled with higher costs under the new OneGov discount as employees expect them to maintain access to ChatGPT models even under a new pricing regime.
“We’re already hearing incredible feedback about our first-of-its-kind OneGov 2.0 deal, and we’re seeing adoption grow every day. We’re proud to partner with GSA to give federal, state, local, and tribal governments broader access to these tools while delivering a good deal for taxpayers," Felipe Millon, OpenAI's head of civilian, state and local government, said in a statement.
The Office of Personnel Management will “continue to lean in” on deploying AI tools, including ChatGPT, Adam Starr, the agency’s chief information officer, recently said at the GovExec Government & AI Summit.
“The first OneGov agreement made AI accessible to government at a moment when many were hesitant to adopt and budget cycles had not accounted for this emerging technology. Phase two delivers some of the best AI deals in the world and keeps investing in America's AI-ready workforce,” Starr said in a statement.