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U.S. State Department Employs AI Chatbot ‘StateChat’ to Aid Selection of Promotion Panels

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The U.S. State Department will use an AI chatbot named StateChat to assist in selecting members for its Foreign Service Selection Boards, which conduct annual reviews for promotions and personnel moves, according to a recently issued internal cable reviewed by Reuters.

StateChat, developed in-house with technology from Palantir and Microsoft, will help identify foreign service officers eligible to serve on these critical evaluation panels. However, the department clarified that the actual promotion evaluations will not be performed by AI.

The boards operate under the 1980 Foreign Service Act and are responsible for recommending career advancement of diplomats and staff, with legal mandates to ensure significant representation of women and minority groups.

StateChat has been in use since last year for tasks such as transcribing notes, drafting emails, and analyzing diplomatic communications. The cable disclosed for the first time that it would now also be applied to “perform unbiased selection” for panel membership, based on employees’ skill codes and grades. Candidates will then be screened for disciplinary or security concerns before finalizing the boards. The cable did not specifically mention measures to ensure gender or minority group representation.

The American Foreign Service Association, representing State Department employees, said it is seeking clarification on how AI-assisted selection will align with diversity and legal requirements.

The move comes amid broader expanded AI adoption in government under President Donald Trump’s administration, despite ongoing political criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within federal agencies.

Palantir and Microsoft have not commented on the deployment.

Rights Advocates Raise Concerns Over U.S. Plan to Use AI for Student Visa Revocation

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Rights advocates, including free speech groups, have expressed concerns after reports surfaced that the U.S. State Department plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to revoke the visas of foreign students accused of supporting Palestinian Hamas militants. The initiative, dubbed “Catch and Revoke,” is set to involve AI-assisted reviews of social media accounts belonging to tens of thousands of student visa holders.

This move has raised alarm among groups like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and pro-Palestinian organizations. They argue that AI cannot accurately assess the nuances of expressions related to the highly complex and long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They also warn that relying on AI for such sensitive matters could infringe on First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly.

According to reports, the State Department is reviewing news reports of anti-Israel demonstrations and lawsuits alleging antisemitism related to foreign nationals. Fox News additionally reported that the department had revoked the visa of a student involved in what it described as “Hamas-supporting disruptions.”

Sarah McLaughlin, a scholar at FIRE, emphasized that AI tools are incapable of grasping the subtleties of political expression concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee called the reported plan an “alarming erosion of constitutionally protected free speech and privacy rights.”

While the State Department did not comment directly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. has “zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists,” reaffirming that violations of U.S. law, including by international students, could lead to visa denial, revocation, and deportation.

This initiative follows actions by the Trump administration, which has taken a hard stance on pro-Palestinian protests, including pledging to deport non-citizen students involved in such protests. Additionally, Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to educational institutions that allow what he deems illegal protests.

The broader context involves the U.S. designating Hamas as a “foreign terrorist organization,” following the group’s deadly October 2023 attack that killed over 1,200 people. Israel’s subsequent military actions in Gaza have led to significant casualties and displacement, further intensifying global debate.

American Father and Daughter Describe Near-Death Experience in Iceland Cave Collapse

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Scott Stevens, from Austin, Texas, and his daughter Wylde, 10, narrowly escaped a deadly cave collapse in Iceland’s Breiðamerkurjökull ice cave on Sunday. Stevens, who was photographing his daughter, opted not to switch camera lenses to avoid delaying the group. They exited the cave just moments before it collapsed, hearing a loud “boom” shortly after leaving.

“I was aware of the group behind us and didn’t want to hold them up,” Stevens recounted. “If we had stayed a minute longer, it would have been us. We were in the exact spot where it happened.”

The collapse tragically resulted in the death of an American man and injured an American woman among a group of 23 tourists from various countries. The incident occurred in the southeast of Iceland, according to local reports.

Stevens expressed his shock and relief, stating, “It felt like it could have very easily been us. I’m thinking of the man who died; he was just on vacation, expecting to go home.”

Stevens and his group had left the cave before the collapse, while the deceased and injured were part of a second group with a different guide. Upon hearing the collapse, Stevens and his guide ran back to the scene, where they found a woman in distress and provided assistance along with a doctor who was on the tour.

The guides were visibly shaken by the incident. “One was in tears, covered in blood from the deceased, and both were deeply traumatized,” Stevens said.

The American victims were confirmed to be a couple, and the U.S. State Department has offered consular assistance. Iceland, with its extensive glaciers and ice caves, is a popular destination for tourists, but the cave collapse has highlighted the inherent risks of exploring such natural wonders.