Sweden Bans ChatGPT and Claude on Government Computers, Keeps Microsoft Copilot

From 26 October, staff at Sweden's Government Offices — which covers the Prime Minister's Office and every ministry — can no longer open ChatGPT or Claude in their work browsers. The block was first reported by Sveriges Radio and confirmed by the Government Offices in an email to broadcaster SVT. Digitalisation director Mikael Wettercrantz wrote on the staff intranet that using AI services without a formal agreement creates information-security risks, noting that the Government Offices had already seen several examples of problematic use of open AI services. What sets Copilot apart, according to the Government Offices, is the contract and the control it provides over the service's settings; it was reviewed before being approved. Staff can still reach OpenAI and Anthropic models through Intric, an internal platform. The Government Offices has not confirmed whether Anthropic's models are enabled within Copilot; in the EU they are switched off by default and must be turned on by administrators. The Government Offices is not alone in taking this step: the Swedish Tax Agency and the National Board of Institutional Care already have similar restrictions, and the Enforcement Authority is preparing its own decision. An internal audit at the Transport Administration found around ten AI services in widespread and risky use. The European Parliament took comparable action in February, disabling AI features on work devices because it could not guarantee data security.