Sweden’s government has told its staff to stop using ChatGPT and Claude on work computers, and kept Microsoft Copilot. Before you shrug, ask yourself: do you know which AI tools your own team are using right now?
What did Sweden actually block?
From Monday 26 October, Sweden’s Government Offices, the body that supports the prime minister and cabinet, blocked ChatGPT and Claude on staff computers. Microsoft Copilot is the one tool still approved, after a dedicated security review. Notebookcheck reports that the block covers the browser versions, and that some staff can still reach OpenAI and Anthropic models through an internal platform.
Why did they do it?
It comes down to contracts and control. Digital director Mikael Wettercrantz said: “We have seen several examples of problematic use of open AI services.” As TechRadar explains, the worries are:
- Information typed into a chatbot without the right business contract could be stored or used for training
- Without a proper agreement, it is hard to audit who used what
- Data covered by European rules could end up outside Europe, for example in a US data centre
The UK angle: your staff are probably already doing it
You don’t need a government to have this problem. Deloitte’s 2026 survey of 25,000 UK workers found 63% have used generative AI, and 31% of those users do so without their employer knowing. UK workers also spend an estimated £1 billion a year of their own money on AI tools they use at work.
A five-minute checklist for UK firms
- Ask your team which AI tools they use, and promise no blame
- Choose one or two approved tools on business plans with proper terms
- Keep client, staff and financial data out of free tools
- Find out where your chosen tool processes your data
- Write a one-page AI policy and share it
A fair reality check
This is not a Swedish ban on ChatGPT or Claude. It covers one government body’s work computers, and the details come from press reports rather than a published policy. The Government Offices has not said whether Claude is switched on inside its Copilot. Other Swedish agencies, including the Tax Agency, have imposed similar limits, so it is part of a pattern, but nothing here affects UK users.
AI Boom Team take
Sweden isn’t saying these tools are bad. It is saying the free, unmanaged version is a poor fit for sensitive work, and the paid, contracted version is a different thing. For UK businesses the message is simple: don’t ban AI, choose it on purpose.
Sources: TechRadar, Decrypt, Notebookcheck and Deloitte UK, checked on 26 October 2026.
By the AI Boom Team. © aiboom.uk
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