Google Offers Artificial Intelligence to the U.S. Government for a Nominal Fee

The U.S. government announced yesterday, Thursday, a new partnership with the tech giant Google, under which federal agencies will be provided with a suite of advanced artificial intelligence tools "Gemini for Government" at nominal prices, not exceeding one dollar.

This announcement came via a joint statement issued by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and Google, clarifying that this initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence within federal departments by providing AI services and cloud computing specifically designed for government work.

Google's CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the "Gemini for Government" service grants federal agencies access to a comprehensive suite of AI tools, including image generation, video clips, idea production, and the creation of "digital agents" capable of independently executing complex tasks, thereby helping to enhance performance efficiency in sensitive tasks.

This collaboration benefits from a previous agreement in which Google provided the "Google Workspace" suite to the U.S. government at a significant discount.

Today, government agencies will pay a nominal fee not exceeding one dollar to use the "Gemini" tools, in a move described as a qualitative leap in modernizing the government's technological infrastructure.

Michael Regas, acting director of the General Services Administration, said: "Federal agencies can now make a radical transformation in how they carry out their operations through the Gemini for Government tools."

This deal comes at a time when major tech companies are racing to secure contracts with the U.S. government.

Earlier in August, Google's competitor, "OpenAI," announced a special offer for the government allowing it to use the business version of "ChatGPT" for a full year for just one dollar.

OpenAI confirmed in a blog post that "empowering government employees with access to powerful and secure AI tools will help solve problems for a larger number of people in a faster and more effective manner."

It is worth noting that the U.S. Department of Defense had previously awarded "OpenAI" a contract worth $200 million earlier this year to employ AI tools in the military, in areas including improving administrative operations, facilitating access to healthcare for military personnel, and enhancing cybersecurity applications.

The race for artificial intelligence within the U.S. government has intensified, with Google and "OpenAI" deploying their full technical strength to serve the public sector, in a transformation that could reshape the contours of government administration in the digital age.