As Alphabet awaits its trial decision against the DOJ, the company is covering its bases with a surprising agreement with the federal government, officially confirmed by a U.S. government press release. Alphabet is offering its generative AI technology, Gemini, to U.S. agencies for less than a dollar per entity!
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What is Gemini for Government?
Gemini for Government is a generative AI solution tailored for federal agencies. The deal, signed with the General Services Administration (GSA), provides access to Gemini tools and cloud services for just $0.47 per agency.
The uses are varied: from drafting reports, supporting research, automating office tasks, to document analysis. This offer is valid until 2026 and continues a previous partnership that already allowed agencies to access Google Workspace at a discounted rate.
A Race for Technological Influence
Google is not alone in this arena. In early August, OpenAI had already announced that the Trump administration could use its professional services for a symbolic dollar throughout 2026. These initiatives highlight a real race for influence in Washington as AI becomes a strategic and economic battleground.
For Google, the deal is primarily framed as a tool for public efficiency. Gemini for Government will allow agencies to leverage our comprehensive approach to AI innovation and our secure cloud infrastructure, in order to fulfill their critical missions
, stated Sundar Pichai. However, behind the scenes, it’s hard not to see this as a move to soften the regulator’s stance as the final verdict approaches.
A Legal Specter
For context, in 2024, the U.S. judiciary found Google guilty of abusing its dominant position in online search. Since then, the Department of Justice has been demanding dramatic sanctions: divestiture of the Chrome browser, prohibition of payments to Apple or others to make its search engine the default, sharing sensitive data with competitors, and limiting its investments in AI. Google disputes these actions, arguing that they threaten its core business even as new competitors like ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Perplexity nibble away at its market share.