OpenAI launches ChatGPT Gov, hoping to further government ties

The company says the product will give agencies greater ability to use OpenAI frontier models.

January 28, 2025

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This illustration picture shows the ChatGPT logo displayed on a smartphone in Washington, DC, on March 15, 2023. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

OpenAI has announced a new more tailored version of ChatGPT called ChatGPT Gov, a service that the company said is meant to accelerate government use of the tool for non-public sensitive data.

In an announcement Tuesday, the company said that ChatGPT Gov, which can run in the Microsoft Azure commercial cloud or Azure Government cloud, will give federal agencies increased ability to use OpenAI frontier models. The product is also supposed to make it easier for agencies to follow certain cybersecurity and compliance requirements, while exploring potential applications of the technology, the announcement said.

Through ChatGPT Gov, federal agencies can use GPT-4o, along with a series of other OpenAI tools, and build custom search and chat systems developed by agencies. There’s an administrative console for information technology teams and chief information officers to manage use of the technology. Federal agencies are supposed to follow OpenAI’s universal policies on the AI’s usage.

The company said it’s in conversation with several agencies about using the tool.

OpenAI had previously announced that USAID was using ChatGPT Enterprise, and the company’s technology has also popped up at other agencies, including NASA and the Treasury Department. It also follows a recent announcement that OpenAI and SoftBank will build a $500 billion AI infrastructure company, beginning with a new facility in Texas.

“By making our products available to the U.S. government, we aim to ensure AI serves the national interest and the public good, aligned with democratic values, while empowering policymakers to responsibly integrate these capabilities to deliver better services to the American people,” the company said in a press release Tuesday. “Self-hosting ChatGPT Gov enables agencies to more easily manage their own security, privacy, and compliance requirements.”

OpenAI appears to be the U.S. generative AI company farthest along in pursuing federal agency use cases, though Anthropic is also looking to work with the government. Anthropic has partnered with Palantir and Amazon Web Services to offer its technology to federal agencies and is also interested in pursuing FedRAMP accreditation.

OpenAI said it’s still working on FedRAMP Moderate and High accreditations for ChatGPT Enterprise, and is considering expanded services for more classified applications.