President Donald Trump's advisory Department of Government Efficiency reportedly is using artificial intelligence technology to probe the Education Department's programs and spending.
DOGE representatives have fed department data, including sensitive financial information, into AI software accessed through Microsoft's cloud computing service Azure, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
Data being entered also includes personally identifiable information for people who manage grants and information concerning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Post said.
DOGE representatives are investigating the department's contracts, grants, and work trip expenses.
Accessing back-end software at different parts of the government and then using AI technology to extract and sift through information about spending on employees and programs is what DOGE plans to do at many departments and agencies, the Post reported.
Elon Musk, whom Trump named to head DOGE, has championed AI as a tool capable of rapidly making sense of data and situations that can confuse humans.
Many companies and government agencies have banned workers from using AI on secure materials to avoid a potential data leak or cyberattack.
"Do we want these tools unleashed in government and society without guardrails?" Alondra Nelson, who worked on AI policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Biden administration, asked the Post. "There's a lot of concern and mistrust about the use of AI in American society."
After winning the November election, Trump named Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE, which has been tasked to find ways to streamline the bureaucracy and reduce spending. Ramaswamy since has left to run for governor of Ohio.
On Tuesday, Trump said he wants to work with Congress on the future of the Department of Education, as multiple reports suggested he was drafting executive orders to shut it down completely.
The president cannot abolish the department without the approval of Congress, which he is unlikely to get, but various reports said he would issue orders to effectively dismantle it from inside.
Department officials have warned staff that if they accept the Trump's administration deferred resignation package, the department's secretary may cancel it in the future, ABC and NBC News reported Thursday.
Education Department staff are some of the millions of U.S. government workers who face a Thursday deadline to tell the administration whether they will accept its buyout offer or remain in their jobs. They face the possibility of being let go from work if they decide to stay.
AFP and Reuters contributed to this story.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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