California expands AI access across state government through Anthropic partnership

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California is partnering with San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company Anthropic to make its AI assistant, Claude, available across state government through a first-of-its-kind statewide agreement aimed at expanding the responsible use of artificial intelligence.

The agreement allows state departments to purchase Claude at a 50% discount through a centralized procurement program. California cities and counties will also have access to the same pricing, along with free workforce training, technical assistance, and implementation support from Anthropic.

The agreement is intended to help public employees improve efficiency, routine work, and services for Californians while ensuring AI will support and not replace the work of public employees.

Claude will be the first AI productivity platform offered statewide through the California Department of Technology’s new Statewide Information Technology Shared Services (SITeS) portal, which is designed to simplify procurement of technology tools across government.

“CDT is partnering with departments across the state to leverage the state’s purchasing power to make it easy to procure new tools, fast and for the best price,” said California State Chief Information Officer and Department of Technology Director Chris Given. “Our work on SITeS is just one way we are reducing barriers for state employees to gain access to the tools they need.”

State employees can use Claude to draft and summarize documents, analyze information, automate routine administrative work and support faster delivery of public services. State officials emphasized that the technology is intended to assist employees, not replace them.

Kate Jensen, Anthropic’s Head of Americas, says the partnership reflects the company’s commitment to supporting its home state by helping government agencies adopt artificial intelligence responsibly and in ways that benefit the public.

The technology is in use by the California Department of Technology and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to strengthen cybersecurity by helping scan, triage, and patch state software. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is using Claude to improve customer service and reduce wait times, while the Department of Health Care Services is applying the technology to internal workflows that support Medicaid administration.

“This agreement makes it much easier for state and local government to access AI tools that can help employees work more efficiently and reduce barriers to AI adoption,” said California Department of Technology Deputy Director, Statewide Technology Procurement Tiffany Angulo. “Bringing purchasing together through one statewide agreement saves time, reduces costs, and helps departments focus on actually using the tools instead of navigating a lengthy procurement process.”

Administration officials say expanding access to modern technology is part of a broader effort to improve public services by equipping state employees with new tools that can increase productivity and efficiency.

The agreement is the latest step in California’s effort to modernize state government by expanding access to emerging technologies, simplifying procurement, and providing the public with new tools that work more efficiently.