In what can only be described as a bold move, the U.S. House has decided to bar its congressional staffers from using Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT Copilot AI chatbot.
Recent Events: This decision comes against the backdrop of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to regulate the use of AI within its ranks. According to Axios, the House’s Chief Administrative Officer, Catherine Szpindor, has formally conveyed that Microsoft Copilot is off-limits for House usage.
The Office of Cybersecurity has brought to light the potential threat of Copilot leaking House data to unapproved cloud services, thus warranting the ban.
As a safeguard measure, Copilot is set to be uninstalled and blocked from all House Windows devices, pending further review.
Microsoft, recognizing the gravity of the situation, is diligently working on a suite of government-centric tools scheduled for release later this year. These new offerings are tailored to comply with federal government security standards and protocols.
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Significance: This decision by the U.S. House echoes a string of actions taken by governmental bodies and industry giants to mitigate risks associated with AI-powered chatbots.
In a similar vein, in 2023, Apple Inc. enforced a ban on using OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other AI tools internally, followed by Alphabet Inc.’s Google in June 2023.
These measures underscore the mounting apprehensions around data privacy and security in connection with AI chatbots, prompting a reassessment of AI technology utility by organizations.
Concurrently, the White House has rolled out an all-encompassing policy designed to address potential AI-associated risks within federal agencies. This new policy, unveiled recently, mandates agencies to designate a chief AI officer, divulge their AI usage practices, and enact protective strategies.
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