When CNBC dropped the headline “OpenAI is giving ChatGPT to the government for $1,” it was almost too good to scroll past. A dollar? For one of the most transformative tools in modern computing? That's one helluva deal and a huge statement.

As Senior Developer Jason Merrell points out in his latest video, the real question isn’t why it’s a dollar but what that dollar represents. Or, as he puts it, “If a product is being given away for free, then you’re probably the product.

The $1 Hook. And the Real Cost

OpenAI’s $1 licensing deal for federal agencies is about access, not charity. The move signals that the company wants to establish AI integration as standard infrastructure for government operations. And they’re not alone. Anthropic matched the offer with Claude AI, and Google even undercut it, coming in around 47 cents.

While some may see this as a race to the bottom, others see as a race to the foundation. Whoever becomes the default AI provider for government work wins influence over policy, workflow, and even the training data that fuels future models.

When the government seeks out to buy software of this magnitude, they aren’t just buying a product, they’re purchasing access to an ecosystem. And in the AI ecosystem, data is the currency. That’s why Jason’s skepticism about “giving it away” hits the nail on the head.

The Not So Quiet Truth: Everyone’s Already Using It

Jason mentions something most agencies don’t say out loud: “If you think your employees aren’t already using AI, you’re wrong.”

That’s the uncomfortable truth of 2025. Even without enterprise licenses, government employees and contractors alike are turning to AI tools for efficiency. The technology has already crept into workflows, from summarizing reports to generating code snippets.

The question isn’t whether AI is being used; it’s whether it’s being used securely.

That’s where enterprise agreements matter. By pursuing official partnerships with AI providers, agencies can establish security protocols, data governance, and usage policies that protect sensitive information.

In short: you can’t manage what you don’t acknowledge.

Lessons from the Private Sector

According to Deltek’s 2025 Clarity GovCon Study, 45% of respondents report actively using artificial intelligence to streamline operations and support business development efforts. That’s a 10-point increase over the prior year. The survey also notes that contractors are applying AI in areas such as proposal development, performance analytics, and workflow automation.

AI has already transformed time-consuming tasks. Reviewing a 100-page contract used to take a full day. Now, large language models can surface key clauses in 15 minutes. That’s real productivity, not just “automation for automation’s sake.”

Unsolicited guest Nichole Reber recently noted, that same acceleration is starting to reach federal procurement. Agencies are testing character-limited proposals and AI-assisted evaluations, changes that could shorten what used to be multi-year award cycles to under a year.

The challenge is ensuring this productivity doesn’t come at the expense of privacy or policy compliance. Which brings us back to that $1 price tag: if OpenAI and others can provide secure, auditable frameworks for AI use, the cost is almost irrelevant.

The Cultural Shift Ahead

Jason makes another important point: AI adoption isn’t just a technical decision, it’s cultural. “Companies need to instill that culture from the top,” he says, “instead of pretending it’s not already happening at the bottom.”

That’s the leadership test for both agencies and contractors in 2025. The technology’s already here. The question is who will shape its responsible use — and who will spend the next few years catching up.

The Takeaway

The $1 AI deal isn’t about money. It’s about momentum.

For government and GovCon alike, the conversation can’t be “Should we use AI?” It’s “How do we use it responsibly, transparently, and securely?”

And if history tells us anything, the real cost of inaction isn’t measured in dollars, but in maintaining relevance.