OpenAI's ChatGPT Enters Government Sphere: Microsoft's Azure to Provide AI Models for Federal Users

Microsoft Corp MSFT will enable Azure Government cloud computing service users to access artificial intelligence models from ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

The largest OpenAI investor will soon enable Azure Government customers to leverage two of OpenAI’s large language models, GPT-4 and GPT-3, via Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service, Bloomberg reports.

The Defense Department, the Energy Department, and NASA are among the federal government customers of Azure Government.

The Defense Technical Information Center, which focuses on gathering and sharing military research, will experiment with the OpenAI models through Microsoft’s new offering.

Microsoft claimed 4,500 customers for the Azure OpenAI service in May, a jump from 2,500 the previous quarter, including Volvo AB VLVLY, Ikea, Mercedes Benz Group AG MBGAF, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC SHEL.

Federal, state, and local government customers can access OpenAI’s GPT-4 and GPT-3 models to generate answers to research questions, produce computer code, and summarize field reports, Microsoft’s Bill Chappell blogged. 

The users can use the models with a chat-like interface instead of direct access to ChatGPT.

Chappell previously worked for the U.S. Defense Advance Research Projects Agency.

Microsoft hosts the OpenAI models in its commercial cloud computing space, separate from the cloud used by Azure Government customers. The company will not utilize data from Azure Government customers to train the AI models.

Price Action: MSFT shares traded lower by 1.89% at $327.43 on the last check Wednesday.