Elon Musk’s xAI to provide Grok chatbot to U.S. federal agencies

Elon Musk’s xAI has struck a deal with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to provide the artificial intelligence startup’s Grok chatbot to federal agencies, the government’s procurement arm said on Thursday.

The contract underscores Washington’s push to expand the use of AI in government operations, while intensifying competition among leading developers of the booming technology for federal business.

The agreement, effective through March 2027, allows agencies to buy Grok models for 42 cents per organisation, compared with the $1 per year OpenAI charges for access to its ChatGPT service, GSA said.

The contract covers Grok 4 and Grok 4 Fast, which xAI describes as its most advanced reasoning models. The agency said xAI engineers would also assist agencies with implementation.

Agencies will also have the option to upgrade to Grok enterprise subscriptions aligned with federal security standards, offering expanded features and higher usage limits.

However, critics have said Grok has generated factually wrong answers and politically skewed commentary, reflecting broader doubts over the reliability of generative AI.

Advocacy groups have flagged episodes where the system produced offensive language or conspiracy-tinged claims, prompting questions about the safeguards built into its algorithms.

The deal is the latest under GSA’s “OneGov Strategy,” launched in April to standardise technology procurement and expand government use of AI. Other suppliers under the program include OpenAI, Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google and Anthropic. GSA has also approved Meta’s Llama model for agency use earlier this week, making it available to federal customers at no cost.