OpenAI opens ChatGPT Enterprise to federal workers for $1 each

OpenAI will charge federal agencies just one dollar each for a full year of ChatGPT Enterprise, delivering premium artificial intelligence (AI) tools to 2 million government workers at the lowest price ever offered by an AI company.

The deal covers dozens of executive branch agencies through a partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA) announced Tuesday. Each agency pays $1 for twelve months, plus 60 additional days of unlimited access to advanced features like Deep Research and Advanced Voice Mode.

“The focus of this effort is not to gain a market advantage over competitors,” said Joe Larson, OpenAI’s vice president of government. “It is to scale the adoption of artificial intelligence across the federal workforce.”

The announcement follows the GSA’s approval of OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic as vendors on its federal AI marketplace. OpenAI appears to be the only company offering such aggressive pricing to win government contracts.

Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, called the arrangement “almost like a trial run.” He said the rapid pace of AI development makes long-term commitments risky for government buyers.

“These technologies are changing and evolving at breakneck speed,” Gruenbaum told Bloomberg. “We don’t want to commit ourselves.”

The deal supports the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, which encourages federal agencies to adopt AI tools for reducing bureaucratic tasks. Pennsylvania state workers using ChatGPT saved about 95 minutes daily on routine work, while 85% of North Carolina government employees reported positive experiences.

OpenAI promises never to use government information for training its AI models. The GSA issued an Authority to Use certification for ChatGPT Enterprise, confirming it meets federal security standards.

OpenAI will provide dedicated training resources and partner with consulting firms Slalom and Boston Consulting Group to help agencies deploy the technology safely. Federal employees gain access to a special government user community for sharing best practices.

The company currently serves about 90,000 public sector workers across federal, state, and local governments. ChatGPT now has nearly 700 million weekly users worldwide.

Agencies interested can contact the GSA’s National Customer Service Center or reach out directly to OpenAI’s government team. No renewal obligations exist after the initial year expires.

Google and Anthropic now face pressure to match OpenAI’s pricing or risk losing federal customers to this aggressive strategy.