Tue Jun 10 04:42:09 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and news article based on the provided text:

**Summary:**

The U.S. State Department is implementing an AI chatbot, StateChat (powered by Palantir and Microsoft), to select Foreign Service officers for annual evaluation boards. This move follows a recent postponement of the boards and aims to provide unbiased selection based on skill codes and grades. The department claims AI will not conduct the evaluations themselves. Concerns have been raised regarding compliance with legal obligations concerning women and minority representation, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s past attacks on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives. This deployment of AI comes after reports of expanding AI use across the U.S. federal government under the Trump administration.

**News Article:**

**U.S. State Department to Use AI Chatbot for Personnel Selection, Raising Diversity Concerns**

*Washington D.C. -* The U.S. State Department will utilize an AI chatbot, StateChat, to assist in the selection of Foreign Service officers for the Foreign Service Selection Boards, the annual panels responsible for employee promotions and reassignments. According to a cable reviewed by Reuters, the move aims to provide an unbiased selection process based on employees’ skill codes and grades.

StateChat, powered by technology from Palantir and Microsoft, has been in use within the department for tasks like transcription and email drafting since last year, boasting approximately 40,000 users. While the department assures that AI will not be used to conduct the actual evaluations, the implementation of StateChat for personnel selection has sparked concerns.

The American Foreign Service Association has stated they are seeking clarification on how the State Department intends to comply with legal requirements regarding the representation of women and minority groups on the selection boards. This concern is amplified by the Trump administration’s past criticisms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The decision to implement StateChat for personnel selection follows a recent postponement of the Foreign Service Selection Boards. This latest move is part of a broader trend of increased AI usage across the U.S. federal government, including reported use of AI chatbots like Grok to monitor federal agency communications.

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