OpenAI just struck a deal to give every federal executive branch agency access to ChatGPT Enterprise over the next year for just $1.
In a blog post, OpenAI said the deal is meant to advance a key pillar of the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan by making advanced AI tools widely available across the federal government to cut down on paperwork and bureaucracy. The White House unveiled the plan in July, outlining efforts to accelerate AI adoption, expand data center infrastructure, and promote American AI abroad.
“One of the best ways to make sure AI works for everyone is to put it in the hands of the people serving our country,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a press release. “We’re proud to partner with the General Services Administration (GSA), delivering on President Trump’s AI Action Plan, to make ChatGPT available across the federal government, helping public servants deliver for the American people.”
At the same time, the deal could also give OpenAI an edge over its rivals by incentivizing government agencies to choose its models over competing ones. On Tuesday, the GSA added ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude to a government purchasing system, making it easier for agencies to buy and use these models.
In addition to the steep discount, the partnership gives government agencies access to tools and training to help them learn how to use ChatGPT. OpenAI has already created a dedicated user community for government workers and is offering tailored introductory workshops through its OpenAI Academy.
OpenAI also assured that government data, including both inputs and outputs, will not be used to train or improve its models.
The company touted that in a recent pilot program, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania employees using ChatGPT saved an average of about 95 minutes per day on routine tasks.
Back in January, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Gov, a tailored version of ChatGPT designed for government workers. At the time, OpenAI reported that more than 90,000 users across over 3,500 federal, state, and local government agencies had sent more than 18 million messages on ChatGPT. The company highlighted how some agencies have already been using ChatGPT, including the Air Force Research Laboratory, which uses it for administrative tasks, and Los Alamos National Laboratory for scientific research.
The move also comes as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been increasingly cozying up with the Trump Administration. Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Altman joined Trump for a press conference and had a lengthy one-on-one meeting in June. During a dinner at Trump’s New Jersey golf club that month, Trump called Altman “a very brilliant man.”
