Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is letting artificial intelligence decide what ends up on the chopping block in the Department of Education, according to sources.
The Washington Post reported that Musk’s goon squad is leaning on AI to probe sensitive federal data, which includes personally identifiable information on who manages what grants, programs, as well as financial information, such as work trip expenses.
According to two sources who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal, the AI software is accessed through Microsoft’s cloud Azure computing service. And staffers were instructed not to impede the team’s efforts.
DOGE has been turned loose on the Department of Education as President Donald Trump aims to eventually dissolve the department entirely, reported CNN.
As Trump instructed of his secretary of education nominee Linda McMahon, her goal will be to “put herself out of a job.” McMahon’s Senate confirmation hearing is set for Feb. 13, reported The Hill.
In a Thursday statement, Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Education Department, vouched for DOGE representatives as federal employees who have been mandated to probe the department for cuts.
Biermann said they are “focused on making the Department more cost-efficient, effective, and accountable to the taxpayers.” She added, “There is nothing inappropriate or nefarious going on.”
Yet Alondra Nelson, who has worked on AI policy at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy under the Biden administration, expressed concern about the lack of guardrails put on the technology.
“Do we want these tools unleashed in government and society without guardrails?” she told the Post. “There’s a lot of concern and mistrust about the use of AI in American society.”
