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AI has reached and knocked on all doors! The US Congress isn’t unfamiliar with generative AI and ChatGPT, as a Congressman once delivered an AI-drafted speech. Now, the US Congress is planning to ban Microsoft Copilot citing security concerns, according to a report from Axios.
US Congress could ban Microsoft Copilot
According to Congress’ Chief Administrative Officer, Catherine Szpindor, Microsoft Copilot is “unauthorized for House use” citing the security concerns that information shared by House staff might leak and reach places where it’s not supposed to be. As a result, the US Congress will expunge and ban Copilot, which serves as an optional generative AI add-on, on all Windows devices under its jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Microsoft assures that they are working on government-friendly versions of their AI tools that will meet the strict security requirements of the federal government.
It raises questions about its impact on congressional staff and their workflow; if not Copilot, then what? A Microsoft spokesperson might have an answer to this. They explained that they understand how important it is for the government to have an extra layer of security. That’s why they plan to make AI tools like Copilot specially designed to meet these high-security standards. The Chief Administrative Office’s office clarified that the advice they’re giving right now is for regular folks, not government workers. But once the government version is ready, they’ll check it out and decide what to do.
More importantly, Microsoft Copilot is a collaborative effort between Microsoft and ChatGPT-owner OpenAI. Plus, it has several plans to choose from, especially for businesses. A bunch of perks come with the paid version, like allowing users to integrate it with Microsoft Office Suite programs like World, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Hence, the AI indeed comes helpful among congressional staff but the potential ban has a solid argument that there have been multiple instances where there is always a risk of data leakage. Such leaks, especially in terms of government, pose enormous risks.