California government employees can now use Claude at a discount
What's the story
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a partnership with Anthropic, the company behind the AI chatbot Claude. The deal will allow all state agencies and local governments in California to access Claude at a discounted rate. This comes as businesses are grappling with the high costs of enterprise subscriptions for AI tools.
AI assistance
AI to help state employees draft documents, analyze information
The partnership will provide state agencies and local governments access to Claude, along with training and support from Anthropic. A press release from the Governor's office said that this AI tool will help state employees draft documents and analyze information. "AI should not replace the human work of government; it should help our workers move faster, solve problems more effectively," Newsom said in a statement.
Efficiency
Deal follows Newsom's executive order on AI use in government
The deal comes after Newsom's March executive order aimed at accelerating the use of AI "to make government more efficient" while maintaining stronger safety standards. "While others in Washington are designing policy and creating contracts in the shadow of misuse, we're focused on doing this the right way," Newsom said at the time.
Federal clash
Anthropic clashed with US Defense Department over contract earlier
Earlier this year, Anthropic clashed with the US Department of Defense over a contract that would allow the government agency to use Claude for any lawful purpose. Anthropic sought protections against its technology being used for surveillance or autonomous weapons without human oversight. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused these terms and signed a deal with OpenAI instead.