Musk’s DOGE Team Expands Grok AI Use in U.S. Government, Stirring Conflict of Interest and Privacy Concerns
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reportedly expanding the use of his Grok AI chatbot within the U.S. federal government to analyze data—potentially breaching conflict-of-interest regulations and putting the personal information of millions of Americans at risk, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Privacy experts and critics fear the move highlights a growing disregard for established safeguards governing sensitive data, as President Donald Trump continues to restructure federal agencies. One source with direct knowledge of DOGE’s operations said Musk’s team has implemented a customized version of Grok to enhance data processing. “They’re using it to ask questions, generate reports, and perform data analysis,” the person explained.
Two other sources said DOGE staff encouraged officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adopt the tool, despite Grok lacking formal approval within the agency.
Reuters was unable to confirm the nature of the data processed by Grok or the technical details behind its customization. Grok, created by Musk’s AI venture xAI in 2023 and hosted on his platform X, could potentially expose sensitive or classified government data to misuse, five technology and ethics experts warned. If such data were used to train Grok, it could provide Musk with access to privileged federal information—raising significant ethical and legal red flags.
Such access might give Musk, who leads Tesla and SpaceX and holds private contracts with the government, a competitive edge over other AI providers, the experts added.
Musk, the White House, and xAI declined to comment. A DHS spokesperson denied any pressure from DOGE to adopt Grok, stating, “DOGE hasn’t pushed any employees to use any particular tools or products,” but did not respond to further inquiries. “DOGE is here to find and fight waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Grok’s terms of service, posted on xAI’s website, state the company may monitor users “for specific business purposes” and affirm the tool’s goal of developing “all-encompassing” knowledge.
As part of Musk’s campaign to cut government inefficiencies, DOGE has reportedly gained access to secure federal databases that store personal data on millions of Americans. Experts caution that these databases are normally restricted to a select few due to the high risks of data breaches, misuse, or national security threats.
Under federal law, data sharing typically requires agency-level authorization and oversight by internal compliance experts to ensure adherence to privacy and confidentiality protocols. The apparent bypassing of these procedures by DOGE has intensified scrutiny around Musk’s expanding influence in government tech operations.
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