US adds OpenAI, Google and Anthropic to list of approved AI vendors for federal agencies

The U.S. government has added Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic to a list of approved vendors that can offer artificial intelligence services to civilian federal agencies, Bloomberg reports.

The companies will see their AI tools offered via a new federal contracting platform, the Multiple Awards Schedule (MSA), which would let government agencies access AI tool vendors with pre-negotiated contracts, rather than negotiating with vendors individually. 

Bloomberg reports that the General Services Administration (GSA), which is in charge of the MSA, said the tech companies were assessed on the grounds of security and performance. 

The news comes in the wake of executive orders by President Donald Trump focused on AI development, including the adjustment of environmental standards to boost the supply of energy for data centers, as well as a directive for federal agencies to only use AI that’s “free from ideological bias.”