Elon Musk’s DOGE Deploys Grok AI Across U.S. Agencies, Sparking Conflict-of-Interest and Privacy Alarms

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has quietly expanded the use of his AI chatbot Grok across U.S. federal agencies, raising alarms over potential conflicts of interest, privacy violations, and data security for millions of Americans. Three insiders revealed that a customized version of Grok—developed by Musk’s xAI—was deployed to analyze sensitive government data without official approval, prompting experts to warn of legal and ethical breaches. Despite DOGE’s push, the Department of Homeland Security denies any enforced adoption, but oversight specialists continue to call for stringent safeguards.

DOGE’s Covert Deployment of Grok in Federal Agencies

Elon Musk’s DOGE team has leveraged a bespoke Grok instance to “sift through data more efficiently,” according to one DOGE insider who described using the AI to answer queries, generate reports, and conduct data analysis. Two additional sources claimed DOGE personnel urged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staff to adopt Grok, despite the tool lacking formal departmental authorization. If true, this practice could contravene internal DHS policies designed to vet and approve AI platforms before government use.

Legal and Ethical Implications

Five technology and government ethics experts warn that integrating Grok into federal data workflows may violate both privacy statutes and conflict-of-interest laws, particularly if classified or confidential data were processed by Musk’s private ventures. By accessing sensitive contracting information at agencies where Musk’s companies also compete for contracts, DOGE risks granting xAI an unfair competitive advantage and potentially using government data to further train Grok’s algorithms.

Richard Painter, former ethics counsel to President George W. Bush, noted that any direct involvement by Musk in these decisions could violate a criminal conflict-of-interest statute, which bars officials from participating in matters that financially benefit them. Even absent Musk’s direct input, pressuring employees to use Grok “gives the appearance of self-dealing” and demands White House intervention to enforce ethical boundaries.

DHS Response and Oversight Actions

A DHS spokesperson denied that DOGE pressured staff to adopt Grok, stating, “DOGE hasn’t pushed any employees to use any particular tools or products” and emphasizing the team’s mandate to “find and fight waste, fraud and abuse”. However, DHS suspended use of all commercial AI tools, including ChatGPT, in May after employees were suspected of mishandling sensitive data—an action taken before DOGE’s reported Grok push. Under existing DHS policy, only non-sensitive data could be shared with commercial AI, while an internal DHS chatbot handled more critical information.

Broader Concerns Over Government Data Integrity

Experts fear DOGE’s unchecked access to heavily safeguarded federal databases—which store personal details on millions of Americans—could lead to data leaks, unauthorized sales, or misuse that undermines both privacy and national security. Albert Fox Cahn of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project called this “as serious a privacy threat as you get,” highlighting the danger of transferring protected data into a private AI system.

The Future of AI in Federal Bureaucracy

With Musk reducing his DOGE involvement to part-time status this May, DOGE staff led by Kyle Schutt and Edward Coristine continue to champion AI integration in government operations. Their initiatives include proposed use of Grok across additional agencies and alleged attempts to monitor federal employees’ political leanings—actions that risk violating civil service protections against political interference.

As congressional and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, DOGE’s activities underscore the urgent need for clear AI governance and robust conflict-of-interest safeguards to protect both citizen data and the integrity of federal decision-making.