Latest news with #StephenEhikian


Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
OpenAI, Google and Anthropic win US approval for civilian AI contracts
The US government's central purchasing arm is adding OpenAI , Alphabet's Google and Anthropic to a list of approved artificial intelligence vendors, opening the door to widespread adoption of the technology across civilian federal agencies. The move by the General Services Administration, to be announced Tuesday, will speed up the adoption of AI tools in the federal government by making them available through its Multiple Award Schedule, a federal contracting platform with contract terms already set. Without that flexibility, agencies would ordinarily spend months negotiating their own terms for use of the technology. GSA officials said the models from the three companies — OpenAI's ChatGPT , Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude — were evaluated by several performance and security measures. The agency didn't immediately disclose the terms of the contracts. But it's used its buying power to negotiate deep discounts with software providers like Adobe Inc., Salesforce Inc. and Google. Other leading-edge AI companies would also be considered for the marketplace. The first three vendors were simply further along in the procurement process, the officials said. 'We're not in the position of picking winners or losers here. We want the maximum number of tools to provide to all federal government employees to make them as productive as possible,' said GSA Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian. 'There's going to be different tools for different use cases.' The move comes just days after President Donald Trump signed three executive orders aimed at reshaping the government's role in AI, including a mandate that federal agencies only procure language models 'free from ideological bias.' Enforcing the presidential ban on what Trump calls 'woke AI' would be an agency-by-agency process, according to the GSA. 'But at the same time, this is a race, right? And as the president said, we're going to win this race,' said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. Adding the three companies to the multiple award schedule — which makes commercial IT products more readily available to agencies — means federal bureaucrats can begin using large language models that had previously been restricted to smaller pilot projects or national security use. The Pentagon has already awarded AI contracts to OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which are separate from the GSA's announcements on Tuesday. Many agencies, including the Treasury Department and Office of Personnel Management, have already expressed interest in using the new platform, according to GSA officials. Under the previous presidential administration, federal agencies identified potential uses for AI such as processing patent applications, detecting tax fraud, reviewing grant submissions and copy-editing press releases. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said he envisions using AI to develop customer service chatbots and to summarize tens of thousands of public comments on rulemaking — a process that previously bogged down changes to regulations. But he said agencies will also have to hire savvy employees. 'We're probably missing people who are super conversant with very modern, AI-related stuff,' he said. 'Clearly, we can't just throw things against the wall and see what sticks,' Kupor said.


Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
OpenAI, Google and Anthropic win US approval for civilian AI contracts
The US government's central purchasing arm is adding OpenAI, Alphabet's Google and Anthropic to a list of approved artificial intelligence vendors, opening the door to widespread adoption of the technology across civilian federal move by the General Services Administration, to be announced Tuesday, will speed up the adoption of AI tools in the federal government by making them available through its Multiple Award Schedule, a federal contracting platform with contract terms already set. Without that flexibility, agencies would ordinarily spend months negotiating their own terms for use of the technology. GSA officials said the models from the three companies — OpenAI's ChatGPT , Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude — were evaluated by several performance and security measures. The agency didn't immediately disclose the terms of the contracts. But it's used its buying power to negotiate deep discounts with software providers like Adobe Inc., Salesforce Inc. and Google. Other leading-edge AI companies would also be considered for the marketplace. The first three vendors were simply further along in the procurement process, the officials said. 'We're not in the position of picking winners or losers here. We want the maximum number of tools to provide to all federal government employees to make them as productive as possible,' said GSA Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian. 'There's going to be different tools for different use cases.' The move comes just days after President Donald Trump signed three executive orders aimed at reshaping the government's role in AI, including a mandate that federal agencies only procure language models 'free from ideological bias.' Enforcing the presidential ban on what Trump calls 'woke AI' would be an agency-by-agency process, according to the GSA. 'But at the same time, this is a race, right? And as the president said, we're going to win this race,' said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. Adding the three companies to the multiple award schedule — which makes commercial IT products more readily available to agencies — means federal bureaucrats can begin using large language models that had previously been restricted to smaller pilot projects or national security use. The Pentagon has already awarded AI contracts to OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which are separate from the GSA's announcements on Tuesday. Many agencies, including the Treasury Department and Office of Personnel Management, have already expressed interest in using the new platform, according to GSA officials. Under the previous presidential administration, federal agencies identified potential uses for AI such as processing patent applications, detecting tax fraud, reviewing grant submissions and copy-editing press releases. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said he envisions using AI to develop customer service chatbots and to summarize tens of thousands of public comments on rulemaking — a process that previously bogged down changes to regulations. But he said agencies will also have to hire savvy employees. 'We're probably missing people who are super conversant with very modern, AI-related stuff,' he said. 'Clearly, we can't just throw things against the wall and see what sticks,' Kupor said.


Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic get green light for civilian AI use in US; soon could power government workdesks
The US government has approved OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic as official vendors for artificial intelligence tools, making it easier for federal agencies to access and use advanced language models. This announcement comes from the General Services Administration (GSA), the government's main purchasing body. These AI tools, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude, will now be available through a central federal contracting platform called the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). Until now, government departments had to go through lengthy negotiations to use AI technologies. With the new arrangement, those tools can be bought and deployed much more quickly because contract terms have already been set. GSA officials said the approved tools met performance and security standards, though the specific terms of the contracts have not been made public. The agency has previously used its purchasing power to get lower prices from big software firms like Adobe and Salesforce. Officials added that other AI providers may be added later. These three firms were simply further along in the process. 'We're not choosing winners or losers,' said GSA Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian. 'We want as many tools as possible for different use cases across government departments.' The move is expected to allow wider AI use beyond pilot programmes and national security. Agencies including the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have already shown interest. In the past, AI has been tested in areas like patent processing, fraud detection, grant reviews, and copy editing. OPM Director Scott Kupor said AI tools could be used to build chatbots for public queries or to quickly summarise thousands of public comments during policy changes, a job that usually takes weeks. But he also pointed out a challenge: 'We're probably missing people who are super familiar with modern AI tools,' he said, suggesting departments may need to hire more tech-savvy staff. 'We can't just throw things against the wall and see what sticks,' he added. This shift comes shortly after President Donald Trump signed new executive orders on AI. One of them requires that any AI tools used by federal agencies must be 'free from ideological bias'. Enforcing this rule will be handled by each agency separately, according to the GSA. 'This is a race,' said Josh Gruenbaum, who leads the GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. 'And as the president said, we're going to win it.' While the Pentagon has already awarded separate AI contracts to OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, Tuesday's announcement focuses on AI use in civilian departments.


Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
OpenAI, Google and Anthropic win US approval for civilian AI contracts
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills The US government's central purchasing arm is adding OpenAI , Alphabet's Google and Anthropic to a list of approved artificial intelligence vendors, opening the door to widespread adoption of the technology across civilian federal move by the General Services Administration, to be announced Tuesday, will speed up the adoption of AI tools in the federal government by making them available through its Multiple Award Schedule, a federal contracting platform with contract terms already set. Without that flexibility, agencies would ordinarily spend months negotiating their own terms for use of the officials said the models from the three companies — OpenAI's ChatGPT , Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude — were evaluated by several performance and security agency didn't immediately disclose the terms of the contracts. But it's used its buying power to negotiate deep discounts with software providers like Adobe Inc., Salesforce Inc. and leading-edge AI companies would also be considered for the marketplace. The first three vendors were simply further along in the procurement process, the officials said.'We're not in the position of picking winners or losers here. We want the maximum number of tools to provide to all federal government employees to make them as productive as possible,' said GSA Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian. 'There's going to be different tools for different use cases.'The move comes just days after President Donald Trump signed three executive orders aimed at reshaping the government's role in AI, including a mandate that federal agencies only procure language models 'free from ideological bias.'Enforcing the presidential ban on what Trump calls 'woke AI' would be an agency-by-agency process, according to the GSA.'But at the same time, this is a race, right? And as the president said, we're going to win this race,' said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition the three companies to the multiple award schedule — which makes commercial IT products more readily available to agencies — means federal bureaucrats can begin using large language models that had previously been restricted to smaller pilot projects or national security use. The Pentagon has already awarded AI contracts to OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which are separate from the GSA's announcements on agencies, including the Treasury Department and Office of Personnel Management, have already expressed interest in using the new platform, according to GSA officials. Under the previous presidential administration, federal agencies identified potential uses for AI such as processing patent applications, detecting tax fraud, reviewing grant submissions and copy-editing press of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said he envisions using AI to develop customer service chatbots and to summarize tens of thousands of public comments on rulemaking — a process that previously bogged down changes to he said agencies will also have to hire savvy employees. 'We're probably missing people who are super conversant with very modern, AI-related stuff,' he said.'Clearly, we can't just throw things against the wall and see what sticks,' Kupor said.


Business Insider
10-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Adobe (ADBE) Strikes New Deal with U.S. Government
Tech company Adobe (ADBE) has agreed to lower the price of its software for U.S. government agencies after reaching a deal with the General Services Administration (GSA). As part of this agreement, Adobe will offer a 'Paperless Government Solution' at a 70% discount off the regular GSA list price, and the offer is valid through November 30. The move is part of broader moves in Washington to reduce spending and improve digital services. Protect Your Portfolio Against Market Uncertainty Discover companies with rock-solid fundamentals in TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter. Receive undervalued stocks, resilient to market uncertainty, delivered straight to your inbox. GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian said that the agreement helps all federal agencies access top technology at the best possible prices. He added that under President Trump's administration, the GSA is focused on buying software more strategically across agencies instead of each agency buying separately. This change is meant to speed up government modernization and cut down on inefficiencies. Unsurprisingly, Adobe's Chief Revenue Officer, Stephen Frieder, said that the company is proud to expand its work with the federal government. He said that the new deal will help agencies become more efficient, secure, and modern. Interestingly, the software bundle includes tools like Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Sign, Adobe Express, and Experience Manager Forms, which are all designed to help agencies go digital and reduce paperwork. Is ADBE Stock a Good Buy? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on ADBE stock based on 21 Buys, nine Holds, and zero Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average ADBE price target of $508.22 per share implies 32.2% upside potential.