Anna Hartz
Musk’s AI Chatbot Grok May Be Handling U.S. Government Data, Sources Say
Artificial intelligence is growing fast, and not just in the tech world. Now it’s making its way into federal offices.
At the center of this latest controversy is Elon Musk and his AI chatbot, Grok.
Sources say Musk’s internal team, known as DOGE, has started using Grok inside the U.S. federal government, according to Ziare.
The goal is to make data work easier and faster. But this move has raised some red flags.
Experts believe it could cross legal lines and put sensitive information at risk.
Grok was created by Musk’s company, xAI, which he launched in 2023. It’s built into his social platform, X.
People familiar with the situation told reporters that a custom version of Grok is being used in federal agencies.
It is reportedly answering questions, creating reports, and helping analyze government data.
No one seems to know exactly what kind of data Grok is working with. That’s part of the problem.
If it involves confidential or personal data, this could break laws designed to protect government information and citizens’ privacy.
Five ethics and technology experts said this raises serious concerns. Musk already does business with several government agencies through Tesla and SpaceX.
If he’s getting access to internal data through Grok, that could give him an unfair business edge.
It also opens the door to training Grok using federal data, which could benefit xAI in future contracts.
When asked, neither Musk, the White House, nor xAI provided a response. The Department of Homeland Security did make a brief comment.
A spokesperson said no employee was forced to use any tool and that DOGE’s role is to reduce waste and fraud in the government. They did not answer any other questions.
Privacy advocates worry that oversight is being ignored. If true, this situation could be one of the first real tests of how AI fits into government work.
It may also force lawmakers to rethink how tightly tools like Grok should be controlled.