A team of IT professionals at the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is using artificial intelligence to monitor communications from at least one federal agency for hostility toward President Donald Trump and his policies. They are also actively using the Signal messenger and the AI chatbot Grok.
A team of IT professionals at the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is using artificial intelligence to monitor communications from at least one federal agency for hostility toward President Donald Trump and his policies. They are also actively using the Signal messenger and the AI chatbot Grok.
This was reported by Reuters sources. According to them, some US government officials were told about this by representatives of the Trump administration.
While much of DOGE’s work remains secret, the use of modern technology for a «witch hunt» further damages the reputation of Elon Musk’s department, which has already been undermined by mass layoffs and serious cost cuts.
The DOGE team also uses the Signal app for communication, which potentially violates federal records rules because messages can be set to disappear after a certain period of time. According to the source, the specialists have «intensively» deployed the Grok AI chatbot, created by Elon Musk’s company, as part of their work to shrink the federal government.
The use of AI and Signal heightens concerns among cybersecurity experts that DOGE operates with limited transparency and that billionaire Musk or the Trump administration could use information gathered through AI to advance their own interests or pursue political goals.
«If they use Signal and don’t back up every message in federal files, then they are acting illegally,» said Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert.
In addition, the US Environmental Protection Agency received information from Trump appointees that Musk’s team is implementing AI to monitor employees, in particular to search for hostility towards Trump or Musk in communications.
The agency has previously come under scrutiny from the Trump administration, having furloughed nearly 600 employees since January and said it would eliminate 65% of its budget, which could require further staff cuts.
Trump-appointed officials who took up positions at the Agency told management that DOGE is using artificial intelligence to monitor communication apps and software, including Microsoft Teams, which is widely used for virtual calls and chats.
Trump officials said DOGE would seek out people whose work is inconsistent with the administration’s mission, according to two sources.
«Be careful what you say, what you type, and what you do,» one executive said.
The Agency later acknowledged that it was «considering the use of AI to better optimize functions and administrative efficiency,» but did not use AI «because it makes personnel decisions jointly with DOGE.» The statement did not specify whether the Agency uses AI to monitor employees.
In late March, US President Donald Trump announced that the Department of Government Efficiency would be shut down. And Elon Musk, who currently heads DOGE, may have to return to running his companies full-time.
It was previously reported that a member of the DOGE team, led by Elon Musk, was supporting a cybercrime group that boasted of trading stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent. It is reported that this is Edward Coristin, who is the most famous among DOGE techies due to his age (he is only 19) and nickname «Big Balls».
