California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a unique partnership with Anthropic AI, making Claud the first artificial intelligence available at a discounted price to all state agencies and local governments. “We are forming partnerships to strengthen cybersecurity and provide @ClaudeAI at a 50% discount to state agencies and California local governments. The Golden State helped build Silicon Valley and every Californian should benefit from the responsible use of their latest innovations,” he declared.The development comes as Anthropic is at loggerheads with Donald Trump’s administration after it restricted the rollout of the company’s most advanced models, viewing them as a risk to the nation’s supply chain.“Artificial intelligence should not replace human jobs in government,” Newsom said in a statement about his human deal. “It should help our workers move faster, solve problems more effectively, and deliver better outcomes for the people of California.”Through the agreement, state agencies can use Anthropic’s AI productivity assistant Claude at a 50% discount and enjoy free workforce training as well as expert GenAI technical assistance and workflow input from Anthropic developers. The agreement also provides the same discounts to California local governments, including cities and counties.“Building AI responsibly and in service of humanity has been our approach from the beginning, and that’s what this partnership will deliver,” Kate Jensen, Anthropic’s head of the Americas, said in a statement.Claude has been used in customer service at the California DMV and in the Department of Health Care Services’ internal workflow to assist Medicaid beneficiaries. The state Department of Technology formed a cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic to use Claude to discover vulnerabilities in state code and critical systems.California’s broader AI push includes using the technology in government while tracking its potential impact on workers. Last week, Newsom’s office announced a tool to track whether artificial intelligence is causing job losses in the state. California first met with Anthropic about the deal on March 5, the same day the Pentagon officially designated the Crowder manufacturer as a supply chain risk.
