House spending records show ChatGPT leads paid AI tool use in Congress

In short: House spending records suggest ChatGPT is the most-used paid AI tool in Congress by dollars spent.

What's going on

New spending data shows OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the top paid AI tool used by U.S. House offices, committees, and institutional accounts, based on House disbursement records reviewed by CNBC.

According to the report, OpenAI received roughly 90% of all House spending on AI tools in the year ending March 31. CNBC found about $100,580 spent on ChatGPT across 798 transactions, out of at least $113,740 in total AI tool spending. Anthropic’s Claude was second with $13,160 across 37 transactions.

The data also showed a difference between parties. Democratic offices accounted for $54,165 in AI purchases, compared with $15,782 spent by Republican offices. The report notes these numbers do not include free accounts or AI features that come bundled inside larger software contracts, which can be like getting a tool “included” with a bigger subscription.

Staffers are using ChatGPT and similar chatbots, which are computer programs you can talk to like a text conversation, for everyday office work. Examples include drafting memos, summarizing and analyzing legislation, preparing hearing materials, responding to constituents, sorting policy research, and drafting social media posts.

What to watch

If more offices start using free versions or AI that is bundled with other software, total usage could be much higher than the paid spending suggests. It will also be worth watching whether Congress sets clearer rules for how staff can use these tools, especially for sensitive information and accuracy.

Source: TechCrunch AI