According to CNBC, Microsoft temporarily prohibited its employees from using ChatGPT “due to security and data concerns.” The company announced the ban on an internal website and blocked corporate devices from accessing the AI chatbot. Despite being OpenAI’s biggest investor, Microsoft’s decision to ban ChatGPT was surprising given its $10 billion investment in the developer.
Microsoft acknowledged ChatGPT’s safeguards but still classified it as a third-party external service, advising employees to “exercise caution.” After CNBC published the story, Microsoft swiftly restored access to the chatbot and removed language in its advisory about blocking the app. A company spokesperson admitted the ban was a mistake and encouraged the use of services with greater privacy and security protections.
Ultimately, Microsoft’s ban on ChatGPT was short-lived, and the company quickly rectified its error, affirming its support for services like Bing Chat Enterprise and ChatGPT Enterprise.
