The U.S. Senate's Sergeant at Arms office has approved three generative AI platforms—OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Microsoft's Copilot—for official use by Senate employees. Each employee will receive a free license for one of these tools, which are intended to assist with drafting documents, research, summarization, and preparing briefing materials.
While approved, questions remain about the use of these AI tools by staffers handling sensitive or classified information. The move signifies the growing adoption of AI chatbots within government operations, though the extent of their actual use in the Senate is still unclear.
The main topics covered are the official approval of specific AI platforms for Senate use, the intended applications for routine work, and the unresolved concerns regarding data security and classified information.
A top Senate administrator approved OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot for official use in the Senate, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. 404 Media has obtained the full text of the memo and is publishing it below.
“The Sergeant at Arms (SAA) office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has approved the use of three Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms with Senate data,” the memo starts. It also says the SAA will provide each Senate employee with one free license to either Gemini Chat or ChatGPT Enterprise, with Copilot also available at no cost.
The memo says Copilot “can help with routine Senate work, including drafting and editing documents, summarizing information, preparing talking points and briefing material, and conducting research and analysis.”
As the New York Times wrote, questions remain around how staffers who deal with sensitive or classified information might use the tools. And more broadly, it shows the spread of AI chatbots across government, although how much the Senate will use it in this case is unclear.
The full memo reads:
The Sergeant at Arms (SAA) office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has approved the use of three Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms with Senate data. Microsoft Copilot Chat is available now for use by all Senate employees at no cost. Google Workspace with Gemini Chat and OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise also have been approved for use with the assignment of a Senate license. The SAA will provide each Senate employee one Generative AI license at no cost for either Google Workspace with Gemini Chat or OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise. More information about licensing for those two platforms will be provided by the CIO in the next thirty days.
ABOUT COPILOT CHAT Copilot Chat is an AI assistant that is integrated into the Senate’s Microsoft 365 environment. It can help with routine Senate work, including drafting and editing documents, summarizing information, preparing talking points and briefing material, and conducting research and analysis. You can access the Copilot Chat web app here or download the Copilot Chat app on your mobile device. You may also see Copilot offered as a sidebar tool within Microsoft applications like Word and Excel.
Important Note: Copilot Chat does not have access to any Senate data unless that information is explicitly shared within a prompt. Copilot does not search internal drives, shared folders, email, Teams chats, or any other Senate resources on its own. Copilot Chat operates in Microsoft’s secure government cloud and meets federal and Senate cybersecurity requirements.
Data shared with Copilot Chat stays within the secure Microsoft 365 Government environment and is protected by the same controls that safeguard other Senate data. To learn more about Copilot Chat, take the Copilot Chat Training. Use of artificial intelligence tools is governed by the Senate AI Policy and applicable officelevel policies. To learn more about Senate AI initiatives, visit the Artificial Intelligence Webster Page.
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