State Department Taps AI Chatbot to Help Form Foreign Service Selection Board

Snippet: StateChat reportedly has around 40,000 users already. 

The U.S. State Department plans to use an AI-powered chatbot, StateChat, to assist in selecting members for its annual Foreign Service Selection Boards, according to an internal cable reviewed by Reuters.

Built using technology from Palantir and Microsoft, StateChat will help identify foreign service officers based on skill codes and grades to ensure a more unbiased selection process.

While the chatbot will assist in forming the boards, a department spokesperson confirmed that AI will not be used to conduct the evaluations. 

StateChat, already used across the agency for tasks such as drafting emails and analyzing cables, reportedly has around 40,000 users. 

Last month, the department sought commercial off-the-shelf AI/ML solutions with advanced large language model capabilities comparable to ChatGPT. In a Request for Information posted on SAM.gov, the Department’s Bureau of Global Acquisitions (GA) enquired about a mature platform that includes integrated analytics and supports customizable AI/ML and LLM development.