OPM makes Copilot and ChatGPT available to its workforce
The Office of Personnel Management is rolling out Microsoft Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT to its workforce, following a similar move by the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to internal emails obtained by FedScoop, OPM Director Scott Kupor told workers that Microsoft 365’s Copilot Chat became available Monday and that ChatGPT-5 access would be available “over the next few days” to all workers.
“This is part of our broader effort to equip you with AI tools that help you work faster, think bigger, and collaborate better,” Kupor said in a Tuesday email. He added later: “Let’s lead the way in using AI thoughtfully and effectively — starting now.”
The news was reported first by Nextgov.
In response to a request for comment on the offerings, OPM spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover confirmed one of the emails sent by Kupor about access to the two tools. She said both offerings were the result of deals the General Services Administration has inked with companies to provide services at deeply discounted rates as part of its OneGov initiative.
“OPM has entered into an enterprise agreement with OpenAI based upon GSA’s OneGov partnership agreements,” she said. The agency was also able to add Copilot to the agency’s existing subscription at no cost with Microsoft’s new GSA contract in place.
The OneGov deals began with OpenAI, which offered its services to government customers at $1 for one year, and have since expanded to deals with other tech companies such as Anthropic and Google. Earlier this month, HHS became the first agency to take advantage of OpenAI’s OneGov, which Joseph Larson, OpenAI’s vice president of government, said at the time was “just the start” of partnerships in government.
Similar to the HHS rollout, Kupor cautioned workers using the tools to still use their best judgment and previewed training from the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
“AI is a great assistant, but you’re still the expert,” Kupor said. “I know some of you are excited, some are curious, and some are wary. In the coming weeks, OCIO will host brown bag sessions to help clarify and ensure you get the most out of these tools.”
More AI offerings are on the horizon for the agency. Pinover told FedScoop that OPM plans to enable “access to GSA USAi in the near future.” Launched last month, USAi is a tool that aims to allow federal agencies to access and experiment with multiple AI models through the same service.
According to two screenshots obtained by FedScoop, OPM is also providing employees with free AI training and courses. In one screenshot, a course called “OpenAI GPTs: Creating Your Own Custom AI Assistants” was listed, apparently provided by Vanderbilt University.
An OPM employee told FedScoop that AI tools have been useful for basic tasks, but they have concerns over the potential for improper use given that these trainings are voluntary.
“It’s all updating to our laptops with the expectation that we will complete the AI training ourselves,” said the employee, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly without fear of retaliation.
OpenAI and Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to FedScoop’s request for comment.
