The State Department’s AI Ecosystem
Today AI has been integrated throughout the US State Department, which employs 80,000 diplomats across its headquarters and 270 diplomatic missions in 180 countries. The Department also oversees
more than 600 American cultural centres in over 140 countries worldwide, equipped—with private sector funding from companies such as Amazon, Chevron, and Coupang—with AI-enabled programmes. The State Department states
that it has taken steps to ensure a consistent and unified approach to sharing AI models, code and data. In essence, a departmental AI ecosystem has been created.
In 2023, the State Department introduced its Enterprise AI Strategy—a comprehensive framework for integrating AI into US foreign policymaking. AI is viewed not as a replacement for humans, but as a tool for optimising information flows and freeing up human resources for more substantive work.
Three specialised bodies have been established within the State Department: the Enterprise Data and AI Council (EDAC), the AI Steering Committee (AISC) and the AI Security Centre. EDAC is responsible for strategic governance of AI policy and data standards and acts as the supervisory authority for AI governance. The AISC provides tactical decisions and guidance on responsible AI use. The AI Security Centre operates
through an AI Communications and Training Working Group and other thematic working groups, focusing on identifying and mitigating risks associated with AI use.
To facilitate effective AI integration, new positions were introduced under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, including the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) and the Information Technology Executive Council (ITEC). Dedicated AI leadership roles were also established: Chief Data and AI Officer (CDAO), Responsible AI Officer (RAIO) and Innovation Officer (CIO), responsible for internal coordination.
In 2023, the Department created the Cyberspace, Digital Connectivity and Related Technologies Fund, with funding of $150 million aimed
at advancing American tech aims. The Fund “meets the need for faster and more flexible international assistance to counter immediate cyber threats, while building long-term, secure and resilient digital environments.”
Selected units of the State Department saw
the introduction of a specialised GenAI chatbot, which established the framework for the development of StateChat—one of the first departmental GenAI solutions capable of processing sensitive but unclassified information. As of September 2025, StateChat had around 45,000 active users. It now contains diplomatic cables, style guides, manuals and mobile access capabilities. Dedicated platforms—AI.State and Data.State—have also been developed.
The Department uses the Content Commons digital asset management programme, and moreover, plans to integrate it with other departmental systems to automate AI-driven information retrieval, improve content search and provide intelligent verification and reuse capabilities.
To stimulate AI innovation, the Department launched the internal platform AI.state, offering staff access to tool libraries, training materials and case studies. Experience-sharing initiatives—such as regular AI sessions at US embassies—are conducted in parallel. An AI Resource Hub was also established
for staff training.
Before the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the State Department, AI was used to address socio-economic and humanitarian challenges. For example, a tuberculosis diagnostic project in India, led by Ambassador Eric Garcetti, utilised AI-enabled mobile devices to assist doctors in remote rural areas.
Experts stress
the need for “anticipatory planning” in the context of rapid technological evolution and propose the development of systematic interaction between foreign policy institutions and AI developers.
The key areas of AI application in US digital diplomacy include: promoting US technological aims; monitoring foreign public sentiment; strategic communications; training of diplomats
Promoting American aims in tech
The US AI Action Plan adopted by the White House in July 2025 strives
to promote AI solutions developed by American companies. Washington must facilitate the global deployment of American AI systems, computing infrastructure and standards: “America currently is the global leader on data center construction, computing hardware performance, and models. It is imperative that the United States leverage this advantage into an enduring global alliance, while preventing our adversaries from free-riding on our innovation and investment.”
The United States is working to export its AI solutions to allies and partners – in effect, creating an American-led AI alliance. Other countries are pressed to adopt US hardware, models, software, applications and standards. The Trump administration believes that widespread adoption of American technologies will prevent strategic competitors from attracting US allies through technological incentives.
The US is working on launching, within the framework of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, a programme of sectoral consortia for comprehensive AI export packages. It is important to note the efficiency of coordinated interagency cooperation
between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the State Department, the Economic Diplomacy Action Group, the United States Trade and Development Agency, the Export–Import Bank, and the International Development Finance Corporation.
What America’s developing tech diplomacy strategy for a global AI alliance seeks to accomplish is aligning incentives and policy levers to encourage key allies to implement additional AI safeguards and export controls throughout supply chains. The working group developing this plan includes representatives from the Departments of State, Commerce, Defence and Energy. This strategy aims to adopt extraterritorial export controls, preventing the transfer of American tech from allies to adversaries.
The Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership enables the US to position itself as the preferred digital infrastructure partner while reducing risks from malicious cyberattacks. The United States also actively uses its positions in international telecommunications organisations to promote its aims in artificial intelligence.
Monitoring Foreign Public Sentiment
A key AI-based tool for analysing digital media and social networks within the State Department is the Northstar
system. It enables diplomats to collect, analyse, translate and summarise current events within seconds. Developed in-house, Northstar uses advanced open-source AI models to translate articles from 100,000 media outlets in nearly 200 countries into over 100 languages. More than 100,000 diplomats and technical staff have access to the system.
The program’s deployment has significantly reduced the time required to search, translate and analyse foreign media and social media trends.
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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