WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), sent letters to the Secretary of Interior and Secretary of Energy to encourage them to block access to ChatGPT and other third-party artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The letters note that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended employee access to such tools pending review.

Read the full letter to Secretary Granholm here and below.

Read the full letter to Secretary Haaland here and below.

Dear Secretary Granholm,

I write to you to formally request that the Department of Energy (DOE) immediately block all employee access to ChatGPT and other third-party artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The Department must implement robust security measures and rules to ensure that DOE personnel and information are sufficiently protected from malign actors.

As you may know, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already blocked employee access to AI tools pending an internal review of these tools’ associated risks. According to the EPA, the agency is currently assessing “potential legal, privacy and cybersecurity concerns [related to AI tools] as releasing information to AI tools could lead to potential data breaches, identity theft, financial fraud or inadvertent release of privileged information.” 

It is concerning DOE has not taken similar, decisive action. DOE has a critical mission to “ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.” This security-focused mission makes DOE a prime target for adversaries that wish to undermine our national security and technological capabilities. The use of ChatGPT and other third-party AI tools by DOE employees for official business only compounds the risk of compromise and attack of sensitive DOE information and systems.

Therefore, it is imperative DOE immediately block access to third-party AI tools across all DOE elements until a robust internal review of the use of third-party AI tools is conducted, and guidance and rules for these tools’ use is issued. I request that you answer the following questions by May 31, 2023. I look forward to your timely reply.

Questions

1. Can you commit that your Department will immediately block access to third-party AI tools across all DOE elements until a robust internal review of the use of third-party AI tools is conducted?  If not, why not?
2. Can you commit that your Department will work to immediately conduct a review of the use of third-party AI tools by DOE personnel?  If not, why not?
3. Can you commit that your Department will publish internal guidance and rules for the use of third-party AI tools before June 30, 2023?  If not, why not?
4. Please provide copies of all internal guidance issued as a result of this review no later than June 30, 2023.

Dear Secretary Haaland,

I write to you to formally request that the Department of Interior (DOI) immediately block all employee access to ChatGPT and other third-party artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The Department must implement robust security measures and rules to ensure that DOI personnel and information are sufficiently protected from malign actors.

As you may know, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already blocked employee access to AI tools pending an internal review of these tools’ associated risks. According to the EPA, the agency is currently assessing “potential legal, privacy and cybersecurity concerns [related to AI tools] as releasing information to AI tools could lead to potential data breaches, identity theft, financial fraud or inadvertent release of privileged information.”

It is concerning DOI has not taken similar, decisive action. The use of ChatGPT and other third-party AI tools by DOI employees for official business only compounds the risk of compromise and attack of sensitive DOI information and systems.

Therefore, it is imperative DOI immediately block access to third-party AI tools across all DOI elements until a robust internal review of the use of third-party AI tools is conducted, and guidance and rules for these tools’ use is issued. I request that you answer the following questions by May 31, 2023. I look forward to your timely reply.

Questions

1. Can you commit that your Department will immediately block access to third-party AI tools across all DOI elements until a robust internal review of the use of third-party AI tools is conducted?  If not, why not?
2. Can you commit that your Department will work to immediately conduct a review of the use of third-party AI tools by DOI personnel?  If not, why not?
3. Can you commit that your Department will publish internal guidance and rules for the use of third-party AI tools before June 30, 2023?  If not, why not?
4. Please provide copies of all internal guidance issued as a result of this review no later than June 30, 2023.

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