The US House of Representatives has strictly banned the use of Microsoft’s AI-based chatbot CoPilot by Congressional staff, citing potential security risks.
Axios report The US House of Representatives is taking a strong stance against the use of Microsoft’s AI-powered chatbot CoPilot by Congressional staff. The decision comes amid growing concerns about data security and the potential for sensitive House information to be leaked to unauthorized cloud services.
Microsoft Copilot has been deemed “not authorized for use in the House of Commons” by the Cybersecurity Directorate, according to guidance obtained by Axios from House Chief Executive Catherine Szpindor. The guidance further states that the application will be “removed and blocked from all House Windows devices.”
This measure follows previous restrictions imposed by the House of Representatives on the use of ChatGPT in June 2024, allowing limited access to the paid subscription version, while completely banning the free version. The decision to ban Copilot highlights the federal government’s continued struggle to navigate the internal use of AI technology while grappling with regulations for a rapidly evolving industry.
Following the House decision, a Microsoft spokesperson told Axios, “We recognize that government users have higher security requirements for their data. We are announcing a roadmap for Microsoft AI tools like Copilot that meet the requirements of Microsoft, and we plan to deliver them later this year.”
The Office of the Chief Executive said the current guidance applies to the commercial version of CoPilot and will evaluate the government version once it is available and make a decision at that time.
Built on technology from ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Copilot is available as a standalone chatbot for web and mobile devices, and can be integrated into Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint for paid users . The House’s concerns reflect concerns faced by many companies, some of which have chosen to block access to consumer chatbots due to data breach concerns. Companies are increasingly turning to enterprise versions that provide guarantees on data used to train future models, which could lead to data breaches.
Similar to the government’s ban on TikTok from federal devices, Microsoft’s latest move against AI bots shows that different standards apply to consumer protection than to protecting government assets.
read more Axios is here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, covering free speech and online censorship issues.
