Washington: A serious controversy has come to light regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in an important government agency related to America’s cyber security. According to the report, the acting head of America’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) uploaded sensitive government documents to the public version of ChatGPT in the summer of 2025. Following this move, several security warnings were activated within the agency. Officials familiar with the matter said CISA interim chief Madhu Gottumukkala had sought access to the AI ​​chatbot soon after joining the agency in May 2025.

Permission was granted to use Chat GPT

At that time, use of ChatGPT was restricted to most Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees. Despite this he was given special permission. An official said Gottumukkala obtained ChatGPT’s permission by putting pressure on the agency and then misused it. Although the uploaded documents did not fall under confidential category, they were sensitive files which were labeled ‘for official use only’. This kind of information is not meant to be made public.

How did the information get leaked?

CISA’s internal cybersecurity systems identified these uploads in August 2025. After this, several automatic alerts were issued, the purpose of which is to prevent theft or unintentional leaking of sensitive information from government networks. According to Politico’s report, following these warnings, senior DHS officials initiated an internal review. However, it was not clear what the final conclusion of this review was. The report said that the results of the investigation were not made public.

What did CISA say in this matter?

Responding to the issue, CISA Public Affairs Director Marcy McCarthy said that Gottumukkala was allowed to use ChatGPT under DHS controls. He claimed that this permission was for limited time and limited use. He also said that the agency is committed to adopting modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence. Gottumukkala is currently the senior most political officer in CISA. This agency is responsible for protecting America’s federal networks from advanced cyber threats. Hacking groups associated with countries like Russia and China are also considered to be included in these threats.