Washington (Washington Insider Magazine) – Elon Musk’s Doge team uses AI to track female workers’ communities for anti-Trump sentiment, raising concerns about privacy violations.
As reported by Reuters, Trump administration officials have informed U.S. government workers that Elon Musk’s DOGE team is using artificial intelligence to surveil communications within a federal agency. The surveillance focuses on identifying anti-Trump sentiment and opposition to his political agenda.
Despite the secrecy surrounding Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the use of technology to track signs of disloyalty is a move. It comes amidst a workforce already disrupted by widespread firings and severe budget cuts.
What AI tools is Elon Musk’s DOGE team using?
According to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, the DOGE team is using the Signal app for communication. This could potentially violate federal record-keeping rules, as messages are designed to disappear after a set time.
The source revealed that the DOGE team has heavily relied on Musk’s Grok AI chatbot, a competitor to ChatGPT, to reduce the size of federal workers.
What did Kathleen Clark say about DOGE’s use of Signal and AI?
AI and Signal’s use by DOGE has raised fears among cybersecurity experts and government ethicists regarding the team’s limited transparency. They warn that data collected could be used by Musk or the Trump administration to pursue their interests or target political rivals.
According to Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at Washington University, DOGE’s use of Signal has fueled concerns over data security. This follows backlash against Trump administration officials for mistakenly including a journalist in a group chat about military operations in Yemen.
She stated,
“If they’re using Signal and not backing up every message to federal files, then they are acting unlawfully.”
Ms Clark added,
“It sounds like an abuse of government power to suppress or deter speech that the president of the United States doesn’t like.”
How is Elon Musk’s AI surveillance impacting workers at the EPA?
Insiders say that Trump appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency informed some managers that Musk’s team is deploying AI to monitor workers. The system is designed to flag any language in communications that could be considered hostile toward Trump or Musk.
The EPA, responsible for enforcing laws like the Clean Air Act, has come under significant scrutiny from the Trump administration. Nearly 600 workers have been placed on leave since January. It has also announced plans to reduce its budget by 65%.
An EPA source said,
“We have been told they are looking for anti-Trump or anti-Musk language.”
A manager stated, according to the source,
“Be careful what you say, what you type and what you do.”
The EPA confirmed that it is
“looking at AI to better optimize agency functions and administrative efficiencies.”
However, it made clear that AI is not being utilized
“as it makes personnel decisions in concert with DOGE.”
What did Musk say about using AI to replace government workers?
According to a person familiar with Musk’s remarks, he stated last year that AI could be used to replace government workers. The source said,
“The concept was that through taking the government data, they could build the most dynamic AI system ever.”
Under ethics law, as a government employee, Musk is not allowed to engage in government activities that benefit him or his firms.
DOGE staffers bypassing official document
A source said DOGE staffers are bypassing document vetting by editing in Google Docs instead of circulating drafts.
He added,
“There are multiple people in one Google Doc editing things simultaneously.”
How has Musk’s team affected access to sensitive data at OPM?
Musk’s team, which took control of the Office of Personnel Management in January, cut off access for OPM employees to a database containing sensitive information, as reported by court filings.
Over 100 tech workers at OPM have had access to the cloud, where essential applications are stored. Only Greg Hogan, OPM’s CIO with AI startup experience, has access to the cloud.
