US Congress bans staff use of Microsoft’s AI Copilot

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) House has set a strict ban on congressional staffers’ use of Microsoft’s Copilot, the company’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Axios reported on Friday.

“The Microsoft Copilot application has been deemed by the Office of Cybersecurity to be a risk to users due to the threat of leaking House data to non-House approved cloud services,” the House’s Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor said, according to the Axios report.

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Microsoft did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The move is the latest instance of policymakers looking at potential risks in federal agency adoption of artificial intelligence along with the adequacy of safeguards to protect individual privacy and ensure fair treatment.