Elon Musk-led controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reportedly using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor communications of US federal employees for expressions of disloyalty toward President Donald Trump and his administration. According to a report by Reuters, DOGE is scanning internal communication platforms (like Microsoft Teams) at agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to detect sentiments critical of Trump or Musk.
The implementation of such AI surveillance has raised significant transparency and legal concerns, especially regarding potential violations of federal record-keeping requirements. Notably, DOGE’s use of encrypted messaging applications (like Signal) which allows messages to disappear, further complicates the preservation of official records.
Additionally, DOGE has introduced Musk-owned xAI’s AI chatbot – Grok – into government operations, yet its precise role remains unclear. Also, DOGE strangely uses widely editable Google Docs, allowing multiple users to modify content without clear tracking of changes. Critics also view this as a serious concern regarding transparency and accountability.
DOGE was established with the primary goal of modernizing federal technology and software to enhance governmental efficiency and productivity. Under Musk’s direction, the agency has implemented substantial layoffs across various federal agencies. In fact, at the start of this month, around 10,000 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were terminated, affecting critical teams such as the Division of Violence Prevention and several laboratories.
However, since its inception, DOGE has been continuously surrounded by controversies. For example, it gained unprecedented access to sensitive government databases, including the federal payment system managed by the Treasury Department. This access contains the personal data of millions of Americans and details of public contractors. This clearly prompted fears about data privacy and potential conflicts of interest, especially given Musk’s extensive business ventures.
Also, a recent ruling by the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted a previous injunction, allowing DOGE access to sensitive personal data from agencies like the US Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management.
Meanwhile, in response to its controversial policies and practices, DOGE is constantly facing public backlash across the country, including recent protests targeting Musk’s businesses like Tesla. Even, Tesla’s stock has experienced a substantial decline as a result (falling about 45.3%), which translates to a $79.4 billion decrease in the value of its shares.
Coming back to the latest controversy of AI-based surveillance, several ethics experts and watchdog groups warn that such practices may lead to an abuse of power and suppression of dissenting views.
Interestingly, this development coincides with the White House’s recent directive for federal agencies to maximize the use of ‘American AI.’ As part of this initiative, agencies are required to appoint Chief AI Officers to oversee AI integration and create complete strategies for its implementation within six months.
