Sweden's government blocks ChatGPT and Claude and keeps only Copilot

Sweden's Government Offices support the prime minister and the ministries. From Monday, 26 October, their staff will not be able to open ChatGPT or Claude on work computers. Ekot, the news desk of Swedish public radio, reported this on 23 October after seeing internal information.

The logic is simple: staff should use what the office has approved. Microsoft Copilot is on that list. After a review, the office also tightened Copilot's security, but the press office will not say what changed, citing security. Access to China's DeepSeek was restricted earlier.

It is not a full ban. Some staff keep access to ChatGPT and Claude through an AI assistant platform the office built itself. How many people that covers is not known.

Digitalisation director Mikael Wettercrantz declined an interview. On the intranet he wrote that using AI services without a contract can have "consequences for our information security". A contract sets what the provider may do with the data people type in. The open consumer version has no such contract with the office.

Sweden is not alone. According to Ekot, the Tax Agency, Skatteverket, and the National Board of Institutional Care, SiS, already block such tools. The Enforcement Authority, Kronofogden, is preparing a decision. At the Transport Administration, Trafikverket, an internal audit this year found widespread and risky use of about ten AI services. The auditors wrote of "problematic use of open AI services", both in how sensitive the entered data was and in how the AI answers were handled.

Decrypt adds context: in February the European Parliament switched off AI features on work devices, including ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot. Since early 2026 Microsoft has offered Claude models inside Copilot, and in the EU they are off by default. Whether they are on for the Swedish government has not been said.

For business this is a signal. European public bodies increasingly pick AI by contract and security settings, not by how good the model is. Companies that serve the public sector should know in advance which tools a client allows.

Confirmed facts

• From Monday, 26 October, Sweden's Government Offices block ChatGPT and Claude on staff computers.^[1][2]
• Staff must use approved services, among them Microsoft Copilot, whose security was tightened after a review.^[1][2]
• Digitalisation director Mikael Wettercrantz wrote that AI services without a contract can have "consequences for our information security".^[1]
• Some staff keep access to ChatGPT and Claude through the office's own platform.^[1][2]
• The Tax Agency and SiS already have similar blocks, and Kronofogden is preparing a decision.^[1][2]
• An internal audit at Trafikverket found widespread and risky use of about ten AI services.^[1]
• Access to DeepSeek at the Government Offices was restricted earlier.^[1]
• In February the European Parliament switched off AI features on work devices, including ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot.^[2]

Implications

• ConfirmedSwedish public bodies are moving to AI services that come with a contract and a security review.
• Our readingOther agencies and EU countries may bring in similar rules.
• Our readingAI providers with enterprise contracts for the public sector gain an edge in European tenders.

Still unknown

• How many staff keep access through the internal platform.
• What exactly changed in Copilot's security settings.
• Whether Claude models inside Copilot are switched on for the Swedish government.

Who it affects

Sweden, EU. People who use AI at work in European companies and the public sector

Sources

1. Sveriges Radio (Ekot): Regeringskansliet spärrar AI-tjänsterna Chat GPT och Claude October 23, 2026 · media
2. Decrypt: Sweden's Government Offices Block ChatGPT and Claude, Keep Microsoft Copilot October 24, 2026 · media