Officials within the Trump administration have reportedly informed federal employees that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is using artificial intelligence to monitor internal communications for signs of hostility toward President Donald Trump and his policies.
Although the inner workings of DOGE remain secretive, Reuters claims the program represents an unprecedented use of AI to identify perceived disloyalty within a workforce already destabilized by mass firings and sweeping budget cuts.
DOGE operatives are said to rely heavily on the encrypted messaging app Signal, raising concerns over potential violations of federal record-keeping laws due to disappearing messages. Additionally, Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok—positioned as a rival to ChatGPT—is reportedly being used in the agency’s operations, though its exact role remains unclear.
Government transparency advocates and cybersecurity experts warn that the lack of oversight could allow DOGE to misuse gathered data, possibly for political targeting. Kathleen Clark, a government ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, called the use of Signal “unlawful” if messages aren’t archived.
At the Environmental Protection Agency, managers were told DOGE’s AI was being rolled out to scan platforms like Microsoft Teams for language critical of Trump or Musk. Since January, nearly 600 EPA employees have been placed on leave, and 65% of the agency’s budget faces cuts.
In a response after publication, the EPA confirmed it is exploring AI to streamline operations but denied using AI in personnel decisions. Critics argue the surveillance tactics signal a broader effort to reshape the federal workforce around political loyalty.
