# Agencies now have to pay to use USAi > Source: > Published: 2026-09-03 21:02:00+00:00 # Agencies now have to pay to use USAi ## A GSA spokesperson said the fee “is based on an agency's expected workload, approximated by agency size.” Federal agencies will now have to start paying to use the General Services Administration’s artificial intelligence testing platform, according to the agency’s recently updated “Buy AI” web page. GSA launched USAi in August 2025 to help agencies safely experiment with and deploy AI tools approved for government use. The platform builds upon President Donald Trump’s [AI Action Plan](https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI-Action-Plan.pdf), which was released that July and called, in part, for GSA to “create an AI procurement toolbox.” GSA’s website — which was updated earlier this week — [now says](https://www.gsa.gov/artificial-intelligence/buy-ai) that participating federal agencies will have to pay a “platform fee plus passthrough usage costs” to use USAi. FedScoop first [reported](https://fedscoop.com/usai-is-no-longer-free-for-federal-agencies/) that GSA had begun charging agencies to access the platform. GSA’s pivot to charging agencies a fee to use USAi, however, does not come as a surprise. *Nextgov/FCW* previously [reported](https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/04/gsa-require-agencies-pay-usai-after-launching-it-free-service/412678/) in April that GSA budget documents said the agency was planning to charge a fee for USAi use during fiscal 2027 as part of a “cost-recoverable model.” An agency spokesperson told *Nextgov/FCW* on Thursday that charging for USAi will support its long-term use as adoption of the platform continues to grow. “USAi recently transitioned to a simple, transparent pricing model for agencies continuing with the service when the pilot concludes: a fixed platform fee for access to the service, plus the actual cost of model usage,” the spokesperson said. “The platform fee is based on an agency's expected workload, approximated by agency size. Model usage costs are passed through at cost, with no markup, so agencies pay only for what they use. Costs vary by model.” During an event in June, GSA Deputy Administrator Michael Lynch said[ 25 agencies were already using USAi](https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/06/gsas-ai-adoption-driving-significant-time-savings-officials-say/414129/?oref=ng-author-river), with GSA planning to onboard another 16 agencies onto the platform before the end of the year. USAi is one part of GSA’s broader effort to improve the digital capabilities of federal agencies by offering them easier access to software products and services. GSA similarly launched its OneGov initiative in April 2025 to help streamline IT-focused procurement efforts across agencies by treating the government as one centralized customer. More than two dozen tech companies have signed agreements under the initiative to offer their products at significantly discounted rates of as much as 70% to 90%, including for AI tools. In [a recent interview](https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2026/08/gsas-digital-roadmap-looks-enhance-agencies-services-cio-says/415177/?oref=ng-author-river) with *Nextgov/FCW*, GSA Chief Information Officer David Shive said officials are able to see how federal personnel are using USAi, and that those insights “will inform our next round of negotiations” through OneGov. **NEXT STORY:** [ NSF launches a new AI research operations center ](/artificial-intelligence/2026/09/nsf-launches-new-ai-research-operations-center/415786/?oref=ng-next-story)