California has signed a unique agreement with Anthropic that gives state agencies, cities, and counties access to the Claude assistant with a 50% discount.

Governor Gavin Newsom talked about the agreement on June 29. Agencies receive a discount as well as free training, technical assistance, and support in their work from Anthropics developers.

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California 🤝 @AnthropicAIWe'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

A statewide effort to use AI responsibly

The service is available through California Department of Technology’s new portal for state IT services. The system collects AI tools and displays open pricing for the state’s needs.

Newsom described the decision as an efficiency measure, but not to reduce staffing. The agreement comes after his latest decision on AI and the workforce, which requires agencies to plan for jobs that could disappear due to automation.

“AI should not replace people’s work in the state. AI should help our employees work faster, solve problems better, and deliver better results for the residents of California,” he said.

Here, California already uses Claude

In the press release, they showed that several agencies already use the assistant. The Department of Technology and the Office of Emergency Services are working together to use Claude to protect against cyberattacks, scan, and repair state code.

The Department of Motor Vehicles also uses Claude to provide better customer service and shorter wait times. The Department of Health Care Services, which is the nation’s largest Medicaid agency, uses the assistant for internal processes.

Claude also worked on engaging California, a platform for the public, and helped create Poppy, an internal tool for state employees.

The collaboration builds on California’s AI work that began with an order in 2023 and led to a legislative proposal, Senate Bill 53. Over the coming months, we’ll see whether more agencies use AI when the price is lower.

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