House Staffers to Have Access to Microsoft Copilot This Fall

House staffers will soon be able to use Microsoft Copilot's chatbot, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday at the annual Congressional Hackathon, Feedscoop reported.

The Louisiana Republican announced that Congress is poised to "deploy artificial intelligence" across the chamber soon, adding that this initial move marks a significant step in the House's efforts to modernize workflows. 

"Starting this fall, Congress will make history of our own," Johnson said at the Hackathon, which is hosted annually in the U.S. Capitol and gives lawmakers, staffers, and technologists the chance to share ideas about technological solutions for legislative branch issues. 

Johnson added that "thanks to the work of the [Chief Administrative Officer] and the Committee on House Administration, Modernization and Innovation Subcommittee, 6,000 House staffers will gain access to Microsoft Copilot chat."

The Chief Administrative Officer of the House told staffers Wednesday that a deal with Microsoft has been reached to bring its M365 product suite, which includes Outlook and OneDrive, to the chamber. 

The tool will be available to a "sizable portion of staff" in each office, according to the message to staffers, and aims to "better serve constituents and streamline workflows." 

Johnson emphasized that "this is an important moment in the history of this institution, and evidence that we mean it when we say that the U.S. can and must win the AI race." 

The deployment will be a pilot program over the next year, according to Johnson, who added that discussions will continue with other AI developers "on how their technologies can help Congress better serve our people." 

It comes about a year and a half after the House implemented a ban on use of the Copilot chatbot by congressional staffers. At the time, House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor said Microsoft Copilot is "unauthorized for House use," according to Axios.

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