House staffers will have access to Microsoft Copilot this fall
House staffers will soon be able to use Microsoft Copilot’s chatbot, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Wednesday, a move that marks a significant step in the chamber’s push to modernize workflows.
Speaking at the annual Congressional Hackathon, Johnson said Congress is poised to “deploy artificial intelligence” across the institution soon.
“Starting this fall, Congress will make history of our own,” Johnson said. “Thanks to the work of the [Chief Administrative Officer] and the Committee on House Administration, Modernization and Innovation Subcommittee, 6,000 House staffers will gain access to Microsoft Copilot chat.”
“This is an important moment in the history of this institution, and evidence that we mean it when we say that the U.S. can and must win the AI race,” Johnson continued.
The deployment will run as a pilot program over the next year, according to Johnson, who added that conversations will continue with other AI developers “on how their technologies can help Congress better serve our people.”
It comes about a year-and-a-half after the House implemented a ban on congressional staffers’ use of the Copilot chatbot. At the time, House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpidor said Microsoft Copilot is “unauthorized for House use,” Axios reported.
FedScoop reached out to the CAO and Microsoft for further comment.
The Congressional Hackathon is hosted annually in the U.S. Capitol, providing lawmakers, staffers and technologists with the chance to share ideas about technological solutions for legislative branch issues.
“We’re in this constant process now of examining ways in which AI can help this institution operate more efficiently and help our offices effectively administer services to all of our constituents around the country,” Johnson said. “Fortunately, from the outset, the House has been tracking developments with AI very closely and is prepared to deploy this technology.”
Johnson touted AI as a way to “unlock extraordinary savings for the government if we do it right, and add to Congress’s capacity to better serve the American people.”
