Nobody knew about it Confederation tests secret AI - even with confidential content

For months, members of the Federal Council have been using their own AI application to write speeches, translate memos or check forecasts - and with sensitive data. Now the test is coming to light.

While little is known to the public about the Swiss government's use of AI, a previously secret trial has been running in the Federal Palace for months: under the name Gov-GPT, the federal government has been testing a specially developed AI system since November 2024 - and with particularly sensitive data, as reported by theTages-Anzeigernewspaper.

The application was created by the Federal Office of Information Technology and Telecommunications (FOITT) and is based on the open-source Llama technology developed by Meta AI. However, unlike well-known tools such as ChatGPT, Gov-GPT is operated in an isolated and specially secured IT environment within the Federal Administration. Access is severely restricted: Only Federal Councillors and high-ranking administrative staff are allowed to use the system.

Confidential content permitted - "Secret" level taboo

What Gov-GPT can do is remarkable: it supports text production, translations, editing work and can analyze information. For example, a Federal Councillor could have a complex dossier summarized or speech passages reworded - with the support of artificial intelligence.

Surprisingly, members of the government are allowed to hand over information to the AI up to the "confidential" level - i.e. content whose publication could jeopardize Switzerland's security. Only data at the highest "secret" level is excluded from use. However, the FOITT emphasizes that the protection of such data is guaranteed by the internal, secure infrastructure.

Temporary pilot test - high expectations of AI

Gov-GPT is still in the pilot phase. The number of users is deliberately small for the time being, partly due to the high technical requirements in terms of computing power. According to the FOITT, the aim of the trial is to gain experience with the use of generative AI in a secure administrative environment. The Federal Chancellery sees this as a step towards building up expertise and making the administration more efficient in the long term.

In addition to Gov-GPT, other AI projects are already underway at the federal government. For example, Meteo Switzerland uses AI to quickly adjust pollen forecasts, the Competition Commission uses it to detect fraud in tenders, and the Federal Chancellery's language service uses machine translation. However, the processing of sensitive data is generally prohibited in these applications.