Staffers in the US Senate are now allowed to use three major AI chatbots for official business.
In a memo sent to Senate offices on Monday and obtained by Business Insider, the Senate Sergeant at Arms’ Chief Information Officer approved the use of three major AI chatbots using Senate data: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.
The existence of the memo was first reported by The New York Times.
The memo specifically highlighted Copilot, noting that it’s integrated into the Microsoft 365 tools that Senate staff already use.
The memo said that the tool may be used for “drafting and editing documents, summarizing information, preparing talking points and briefing material, and conducting research and analysis.”
It is not clear why the Senate did not authorize Claude, the AI chatbot developed by Anthropic. A message on an internal Senate IT website, viewed by Business Insider, said that Claude was among several AI tools that are still under evaluation.
Anthropic is currently in the middle of a dispute with the Trump administration over the company’s restriction on using its Claude technology for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology, though that order does not apply to the legislative branch.
The House has already approved the use of ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Claude for official use, according to the POPVOX Foundation, a nonprofit focused on modernizing Congress.
There’s some indication that Senate staff may have already been using AI tools on the job, but unofficially.
Several senators told Business Insider in late 2025 that they were fine with their staff using AI for tasks like research and drafting talking points, though some offices were still developing their own internal guidelines.
“We certainly don’t discourage it,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said at the time.
Read the full memo sent to Senate staffers on Monday:
SAA CIO Notice Artificial Intelligence Platforms Approved for Senate Use 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 office-level policies. To learn more about Senate AI initiatives, visit the Artificial Intelligence Webster Page. If you have questions or need assistance with AI platforms or policies, call 202-224-8377 or email the Technology Experience Partners. NOTE: You must be logged onto the Senate network to view internal links. If viewing on a mobile phone, links may need to be copied and pasted into the Senate browser. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact CIO Technology Experience Partners (TEP).
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