Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is developing a custom generative AI chatbot called “GSAi” for the US General Services Administration, as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to modernize the federal government according to a recent WIRED report.
Elon Musk develops AI chatbot for US government efficiency
The initiative aims to enhance the productivity of the approximately 12,000 GSA employees responsible for managing office buildings, contracts, and IT infrastructure. Additionally, the project seeks to leverage AI tools to analyze substantial amounts of procurement and contract data, according to two anonymous sources familiar with the project.
Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla employee and head of the GSA’s Teadihnology Transformation Services, indicated that the project aims to create a centralized database for analyzing contracts to better understand government spending. “This is not new at all—this is something that’s been in motion before we started,” Shedd stated in a recent meeting, clarifying that the approach involves building the system in-house and at an accelerated pace.
The decision to create GSAi follows previous discussions between the GSA and Google regarding its Gemini offering. While chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini have gained popularity in corporate America, guidance during the Biden administration encouraged government employees to exercise caution in adopting new technologies. In contrast, Trump has directed his administration to remove barriers related to AI, pushing DOGE to implement AI tools rapidly.
Musk’s team has recently implemented cost-cutting measures across the federal government, which has been operating under an increasing deficit. The Office of Personnel Management has reportedly urged federal employees to resign if they cannot return to the office full-time, promoting a culture of loyalty and efficiency.
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The GSAi project is expected to streamline operations within the GSA, enabling employees to complete tasks such as drafting memos more efficiently. Although the GSA initially considered using existing software like Google Gemini, they ultimately determined it did not meet their data analysis needs.
Additionally, DOGE is looking into deploying “AI coding agents” to enhance productivity by automatically generating and editing software code. The GSA has retracted initial approval for using a coding assistant named Cursor, developed by the startup Anysphere, for further review. Instead, DOGE is now pursuing Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot as their coding assistant.
The federal government’s interest in AI is not new. In October 2023, President Biden instructed the GSA to prioritize security assessments for various categories of AI tools. Yet none of the proposed tools received preliminary review under the FedRAMP program by the end of Biden’s term, resulting in no AI coding solutions being authorized.
Various agencies under the Biden administration explored AI tools, with claims to pursue licensing of coding tools like GitHub Copilot and Google’s Gemini. Guidance issued during Biden’s administration highlighted the need to balance efficiency gains against potential risks associated with AI technology.
Musk’s DOGE has also accessed sensitive financial data from the Education Department using AI tools via Microsoft Azure, aiming to evaluate spending across various programs. Reports indicate that DOGE intends to replicate data analysis across multiple federal departments, scrutinizing costs associated with initiatives such as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Education Department, stated that DOGE representatives operate with necessary security clearances and are focused on improving efficiency and accountability within the department.
Featured image credit: Kerem Gülen/Ideogram
