Elon Musk’s DOGE Deploys Grok AI in US Government- Privacy Breach or Power Grab?

The use of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok by the US government has drawn criticism from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to sources, DOGE is analyzing federal data, such as reports and internal queries, using a customized version of Grok.

Concerns about conflicts of interest, privacy violations, and possible misuse of private data are raised by this action. Experts warned that Grok’s access to government systems may undermine established data protection standards and unfairly benefit Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI.

DOGE Uses Grok Without DHS Approval

Three people with knowledge of DOGE’s operations claim that the team gave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the order to use Grok. They took this action without official authorization. According to one source, DOGE used Grok for data analysis and report generation. According to another, despite the lack of clearance, staff pushed DHS to integrate Grok.

DHS refuted these allegations. DOGE hasn’t promoted any products, a spokesperson said, adding that their job is to fight waste and fraud. Nonetheless, the pressure on DHS staff was verified by two of the sources.

Security Experts Warn of Legal Violations

Federal security laws may be broken if Grok is used on sensitive government data, according to legal and tech ethics experts. Elon Musk’s involvement may violate criminal conflict-of-interest rules, according to Richard Painter, George W. Bush’s ethics counsel. Employees of the government are prohibited by these laws from taking part in activities that could financially benefit them.

Additionally, Grok’s potential to leak data back to xAI was noted by Albert Fox Cahn of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. He described it as a “serious threat to privacy.”

Grok May Skew AI Market Fairness

Additionally, DOGE’s use of Grok might give xAI an unfair advantage over rivals like Anthropic or OpenAI. Experts noted that Musk might benefit from such insider access in the future when it comes to federal AI contracts. Even xAI acknowledges that it might keep an eye on Grok users for “business purposes.”

DOGE’s Growing Power Raises Red Flags

The impact of DOGE has increased dramatically. Employees have fired thousands of federal employees and accessed protected databases. According to two additional insiders, DOGE also attempted to train Grok to identify staff members who were disloyal to Trump’s agenda by scanning DHS emails.

All government computers are monitored, according to confirmation from the Pentagon. However, it denied that DOGE was involved in the deployment of AI or in surveillance.

Push for AI Surveillance Spreads

According to two additional sources, a Department of Defense unit informed employees that computer activity was being monitored by an algorithmic tool. Although Grok’s exact role is still unknown, this kind of AI use might violate civil service safeguards that guard against career employees being singled out for political harassment.

Elon Musk declared that he would only be involved with DOGE a few days a week. However, his team is still working to change how the government operates. Critics worry that DOGE’s AI strategy is erasing the distinction between public service and private interest.