Anthropic Offers Claude AI to US Government for $1 - Challenging OpenAI

AI Competition Heats Up: Anthropic Challenges OpenAI in Government Sector

Following OpenAI’s recent announcement of offering ChatGPT Enterprise to federal employees for a nominal $1 per year, Anthropic has responded with a competitive offer. The AI developer revealed on Tuesday that it will also provide its Claude models to U.S. government agencies for the same price point.

Expanding Government Access

Unlike OpenAI’s focus on the executive branch, Anthropic is extending its offer to “all three branches” of the U.S. government – encompassing the legislative and judicial branches as well. This broadened scope aims to maximize the impact of AI across the entire federal system.

The availability of this package is limited to a one-year term, as stated by Anthropic.

Approved Vendor Status

This move arrives after Anthropic, alongside OpenAI and Google DeepMind, were added to the General Services Administration’s approved vendor list. This allows these companies to legally provide their AI services to civilian federal agencies. TechCrunch has contacted Google to ascertain their plans regarding a response to these competitive offers.

Strategic Positioning

Anthropic’s escalation is a deliberate strategy to increase its presence and influence within federal AI implementation. It represents a direct response to OpenAI’s attempt to gain a competitive advantage.

“We believe the U.S. public sector should have access to the most advanced AI capabilities to tackle complex challenges, from scientific research to constituent services,” Anthropic declared in a public statement. “By combining broad accessibility with uncompromising security standards, we’re helping ensure AI serves the public interest.”

Claude Models for Government

Anthropic will be offering both Claude for Enterprise and a specialized Claude for Government version. The latter is specifically designed to support FedRAMP High workloads.

This allows federal employees to utilize Claude for processing sensitive, unclassified information securely.

FedRAMP High Compliance

FedRAMP High represents a rigorous security standard within the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). It is specifically designed for handling sensitive government data that is not classified.

Furthermore, Anthropic will provide comprehensive technical support to assist agencies in integrating these AI tools into their existing operational workflows.

Beyond National Security

While Anthropic, along with OpenAI, xAI, and Google, has received up to $200 million from the Department of Defense to advance AI for national security purposes, the company is actively seeking integration into a wider range of governmental functions. This includes scientific research and public health initiatives.

Anthropic highlighted that Claude is currently being utilized at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to expedite scientific breakthroughs. It is also being employed by the District of Columbia Department of Health to facilitate access to healthcare services in multiple languages.

Security and Infrastructure

Anthropic asserts its ability to facilitate these deployments is due to Claude’s adherence to the government’s most stringent security protocols. Beyond FedRAMP High certification, access to Claude is available through existing secure infrastructure via partnerships with AWS, Google Cloud, and Palantir, granting users greater control over their data.

Multicloud Advantage

Anthropic’s multicloud access may provide a competitive edge over OpenAI, whose current official FedRAMP High offering is exclusively tied to Azure Government Cloud. Although Azure is widely used within the government, some agencies and security teams may prioritize data sovereignty, infrastructure control, and the operational flexibility offered by a multicloud strategy.

However, OpenAI is actively working to diversify its infrastructure and reduce its dependence on Azure.

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