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California Signs Deal With Anthropic — State Agencies Get Special Access to Claude

Nana K.

30 June 2026 2 min read

California government employees will get 50% discounted access to Anthropic’s Claude AI model. We break down how the state reached an agreement with the company.

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a deal with Anthropic that gives all state agencies, cities, and counties access to the Claude AI assistant at a 50% discount. The agreement also includes free employee training, technical support, and Anthropic developers helping to customize workflows.

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This is the first time in the US that an AI tool has become available to all state government agencies through a centralized portal.

California 🤝 @AnthropicAI

We're entering a partnership to strengthen cybersecurity and provide @ClaudeAI to state agencies — and California local governments — at a 50% discount.

The Golden State helped build Silicon Valley — and every Californian should benefit from the…
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 29, 2026

Contents

1.How California Is Already Using Claude
2.Why Governor Newsom Is Betting on AI in the Public Sector

How California Is Already Using Claude

According to the governor’s office, Claude is already being used in several state agencies:

The DMV is using AI to improve customer service and reduce wait times.
The Department of Health Care Services, the largest Medicaid agency in the country, is using Claude to streamline internal workflows.
The Department of Technology and the Office of Emergency Services are using Claude for cybersecurity tasks, including code scanning and patching.
Claude has also become the foundation for Engaged California, a public discussion platform, and helped create Poppy, an internal tool built by state employees.

Claude will become the first AI tool for everyday work tasks available to all agencies through the California Department of Technology’s shared IT services portal.

Why Governor Newsom Is Betting on AI in the Public Sector

Gavin Newsom said, “AI should not replace human work in government. It should help employees work faster, solve problems more efficiently, and deliver better results for the people of California.“

The deal continues Newsom’s push for AI in the public sector, which began in 2023 with an order to study generative AI use. In 2025, he signed a directive on government efficiency measures, and in March 2026, he ordered an update to AI procurement rules to account for civil rights, privacy, and worker risks.

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