OpenAI debuts ChatGPT Gov for federal agency use

OpenAI launched a new chatbot service for federal agency workloads, unveiling ChatGPT Gov on Tuesday, as the latest AI solution meant for government use. The new large language model ChatGPT Gov is similar to the original ChatGPT software developed by the company and is designed to help U.S. government agencies incorporate their materials and documents into a chatbot service. ChatGPT Gov features the frontier AI models of OpenAI within Microsoft's Azure services that are already approved for federal use, meaning that users can comfortably input sensitive data and documents into the ChatGPT technology. "Through the use of AI, government agencies can work more effectively, more quickly and more innovatively," said Kevin Weil, chief product officer at OpenAI. "AI has the potential to change the way public services are provided, to make our operations more efficient and to enable policymakers to use this technology responsibly to benefit the American people." ChatGPT Gov is built to be adaptable. It can be accessed through existing Microsoft Azure cloud platforms and some of the chatbot's capabilities include understanding and creating summaries of complex documents and source materials such as foreign language documents. The compatibility of the system with Microsoft Azure is consistent with the government's FedRAMP regulations and requirements for technology procurement and is enabled by the security features that are baked into the Azure cloud software. "This new approach is intended to simplify the process of authorization for handling sensitive data, while at the same time meeting the needs of the agencies for efficiency and productivity, all on the basis of U.S. technology," said Weil. "We seek to accelerate the internal authorization of OpenAI tools for the processing of nonpublic sensitive information." ChatGPT Gov is currently in the process of obtaining FedRAMP authorization, and will be available "in the very near future" says Felipe Millon of OpenAI Government Go-To-Market. Millon also noted that OpenAI is currently engaging with potential customer agencies that are potentially standing to benefit from ChatGPT Gov in the ongoing process. He also mentioned that customers with more sensitive data -- like defense, intelligence, and healthcare agencies -- will be top of mind.