Swedish government employees are no longer allowed to use browser-based versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude on their work computers. The restriction took effect on October 26 amid concerns about how sensitive information is processed and protected.
According to Euronews, the decision followed a review of AI tools used by staff at the Swedish Transport Administration. The review, conducted earlier this year, identified what officials described as problematic uses of the platforms in government work.
Authorities are concerned that sensitive information entered into AI models without agreements governing data protection and security could be stored or used to train the models. Mikael Wettercrantz, director of digitalisation at the Government Offices of Sweden, warned that the use of such unapproved tools could have consequences for information security.
Microsoft Copilot is being recommended as an alternative. It has passed a security screening process and is covered by a security agreement between Microsoft and the Swedish government.
The restriction does not mean government employees are prohibited from using AI altogether. A limited number of employees will still be permitted to use ChatGPT and Claude through a dedicated platform developed by Swedish authorities.
According to Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Radio, similar restrictions have also been introduced at the Swedish Tax Agency and the National Board of Institutional Care. The Swedish Enforcement Authority is reviewing the issue.
ChatGPT and Claude join China’s DeepSeek on the list of AI tools not approved for government use in Sweden because of data security concerns.
