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.