Sweden’s Government Offices blocked the browser versions of ChatGPT and Claude on staff work computers starting Monday, Oct. 26, and are pointing employees to Microsoft’s Copilot instead, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported, citing Sveriges Radio’s news program Ekot.
In an email to SVT, the Government Offices said all employees have access to Microsoft’s AI tool. “The browser interface for the AI services ChatGPT and Claude will no longer be reachable from the Government Offices’ work computers as of October 26. Within Intric, employees still have access to the language models ChatGPT and Claude,” the Government Offices wrote, in SVT’s report.
Approved tools and security
Ekot reported that the block is meant to keep staff on services the Government Offices has approved, including Copilot. Citing internal information it had seen, Ekot said the Government Offices had also raised security settings in Copilot after a review. The press office declined to describe that change, citing security reasons, according to Ekot.
Digital director Mikael Wettercrantz declined an interview with Ekot. In a comment on the staff intranet, he said using AI services without an agreement could have “consequences for our information security,” Ekot reported.
The Government Offices had already restricted use of the AI service DeepSeek, Ekot said. Its press office told the broadcaster that some staff will keep access to ChatGPT and Claude through a dedicated AI assistant platform the Government Offices developed itself.
Other Swedish agencies
Ekot’s survey found the Government Offices is not alone. The Swedish Tax Agency and the National Board of Institutional Care, known as SiS, have introduced blocks, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority is preparing a position on the question, according to Ekot. The news agency TT carried the same findings in a report published by Svenska Dagbladet.
Ekot also cited an internal audit at the Swedish Transport Administration, which found earlier this year widespread and risky use of about 10 different AI services. “We have seen several examples of problematic use of open AI services. The examples concern both the sensitivity of the information entered and how the AI-generated answers were handled,” the auditors wrote, according to Ekot.
Quotes from Swedish-language reports were translated by AI Tech Daily.