Google has agreed to provide its Gemini artificial intelligence tools to US government agencies at a nominal cost, the government announced on Thursday. Officials said the initiative is aimed at helping departments embrace new technology faster and streamline day-to-day operations.

The program, called “Gemini for Government”, includes a suite of AI and cloud services designed to accelerate the use of AI across federal agencies, the General Services Administration (GSA) said in a joint statement.

“Gemini for Government offers federal agencies our comprehensive approach to AI innovation,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said. “This will enable them to better fulfill their critical missions.”

The AI tools include video, image, and idea generation, along with digital agents capable of independently handling complex tasks.

According to the GSA, agencies will pay less than a dollar for access to the AI tools, building on an earlier agreement under which Google provided its Workspace software to the government at heavily discounted rates.

“Federal agencies can now significantly transform their operations by using the tools in Gemini for Government,” said GSA acting administrator Michael Rigas.

The deal comes just weeks after Google rival OpenAI said it was allowing the US government to use a version of ChatGPT designed for businesses for a year for just $1.

“By giving government employees access to powerful, secure AI tools, we can help them solve problems for more people, faster,” OpenAI said in a blog post announcing the partnership.

Earlier this year, the US Department of Defense awarded OpenAI a $200 million contract to put generative AI to work for the military.

OpenAI planned to demonstrate how advanced AI could improve administrative operations, such as how service members receive health care, and also noted its potential cyber defence applications, the start-up said in a post.