DOGE AI
Modernize US technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency
Related: Governance | America's AI Vision | AI Action Plan
DOGE is making headlines with its relentless pursuit of waste, fraud, and abuse in the US Federal Government. But what is DOGE? It's an acronym that stands for the Department of Government Efficiency. It was created by Executive Order and it's headed by the world's richest man, Elon Musk. Known as an innovator, Elon is also a talented cost-cutter, and he's applying his talents to the world's largest bureaucracy.
And how does he get the job done? With AI, and a team of super high-IQ experts. They are small-government revolutionaries; software engineers, InfoSec engineers, financial analysts, and HR professionals, willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
With Musk's AI-first agenda and support from the White House, the DOGE team is pursuing several AI projects to improve government efficiency and productivity
AI Adoption
The federal government is poised for an AI-powered transformation
The efficiency team has settled in and moved rapidly to bring onboard AI tools in support of DOGE's mission. DOGE is using AI that is accessed via Microsoft's cloud computing service Azure AI. The data is being fed to AI in an effort to get a complete picture of government spending. The switch to in-house AI systems is seen as a strategic move to overcome vendor limitations and streamline tech adoption.
Musk's team reportedly considered partnering with Google to use their Gemini AI product, but ultimately decided to build the tech from scratch to meet specific requirements. The DOGE team continues to focus on AI that could reduce errors, uncover wasteful spending, and improve efficiency across government departments. USAID has been a recent target.
Reports suggest AI tools are already being tested in areas like education, where spending and programs are under analysis. AI coding tools are also being used, with systems like Microsoft's GitHub and Copilot.
GSAi
Custom chatbot for the US General Services Administration (GSA)
DOGE is pushing to rapidly develop "GSAi," a custom generative AI chatbot for the GSA. GSA's mission is to improve the effectiveness of the federal government by ensuring quality work environments for its employees. The plan for GSAi is part of President Donald Trump's AI-first agenda to modernize the federal government with advanced technology.
The DOGE team plans to use the GSAi chatbot and other AI tools to analyze large amounts of contract and procurement data, too.
Examples of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Here are some examples of what the DOGE team has uncovered thus far. Some of these belong on our humor page.
Animal Studies
$1,513,299 to use kittens in a study to analyze motion sickness.
Here, dizzy kitty!
$2.3M for the NIH to inject dogs with cocaine.
Leave the dogs alone!
Nearly $1M to study if cocaine makes Japanese quail more sexually promiscuous.
Get free cocaine and listen to a quail wail!
$419,470 to determine if lonely rats sought cocaine at a greater frequency than happy rats.
Guessing it's the lonely rats.
$75,000 in grants on a Harvard study on lizards being blown off trees with leaf blowers.
Simple...don't use leaf blowers on trees!
$87,944 on the "Role of the estrous cycle and nucleus accumbens signaling on incubation of oxycodone craving in female rats".
It makes 'em horny!
$288,563 for diverse bird watcher groups.
What about non-diverse birders?
$100,000 to study if tequila or gin makes sunfish more aggressive.
Psst! It's the vodka!
Foreign Aid
$123,000 teaching children in Kyrgyzstan how to go viral on social media.
Can we get some of that money?!
USAID is spending $20 million on "Ahlan Simsim" a new Sesame Street show in
Iraq.
They love Big Bird!
$28 million on licensing fees for a green "camouflage" pattern on Afghan National Army uniforms.
Wow! Must be some pattern!
Other Projects
$7 million on various projects studying magic.
Do you believe in magic?
The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the Bearded Ladies Cabaret a $10,000 grant to support a cabaret show on ice skates focused on climate change.
Gotta keep the bearded ladies happy!
$6.9M studying 'smart toilets' that recognize the user's 'anal print'.
No comment on this one.
$118,000 to study if a metal replica robot of Marvel Comics' Thanos could really snap his fingers.
The answer is 'yes'!
$611,203 "Evaluating Microaggressions among Latinx Individuals with Obesity".
Watch out for chubby latins!
$1.7 million for holograms of dead comedians.
Who wants to see a hologram of Joan Rivers?!
$750,000 to study if the moon landing line was "One small step for Man" or "One small step for 'A' man"...the study was inconclusive.
Didn't Neil Armstrong tell us?
Executive Order
The DOGE Agenda is to modernize Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. DOGE is undertaking a Software Modernization Initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, network infrastructure, and information technology (IT) systems. Among other things, DOGE will work with Heads of Government to promote inter-operability between agency networks and systems, ensure data integrity, and facilitate responsible data collection and synchronization.