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Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has introduced a proprietary AI chatbot, GSAi, to assist 1,500 employees at the General Services Administration (GSA). This move, confirmed by Wired, aligns with the DOGE AI Chatbot strategy of workforce reduction and increasing automation.

The chatbot is designed to streamline administrative tasks and enhance operational efficiency within federal agencies.

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 A Government-Safe AI Tool

GSAi functions similarly to commercial AI models like ChatGPT and Claude but has been customized to comply with government security requirements.

 According to GSA employees, it was developed to handle general administrative tasks safely and effectively. The chatbot has been in development for several months but saw an accelerated rollout under new DOGE-affiliated leadership.

Features of GSAi

GSA employees can use GSAi for various functions, including:

• Drafting emails
• Creating talking points
• Summarizing text
• Writing code

Users interact with GSAi through an interface similar to ChatGPT. By default, the chatbot utilizes Claude Haiku 3.5 but also offers Claude Sonnet 3.5 v2 and Meta LLaMa 3.2 for different tasks.

Privacy Concerns

Initially tested by 150 GSA employees in February, GSAi has now been made available to 1,500 workers, with plans for further expansion. However, internal memos caution employees against entering “federal nonpublic information,” personally identifiable information, or controlled unclassified information into the chatbot.

One GSA employee described the chatbot’s responses as “about as good as an intern,” noting that its answers tend to be generic and predictable. To improve interactions, internal documentation instructs employees on how to craft effective prompts.

Potential Adoption by Other Agencies

Other government departments, including the Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services, have reportedly explored adopting AI chatbots for internal and external use. It remains unclear whether these agencies will implement GSAi specifically.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army has deployed its own generative AI tool, CamoGPT, which has been used to review and revise training materials, particularly removing references to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

DOGE AI Chatbot Integration 

To expand AI use in government, DOGE collaborated with the Department of Education (DOE) on a chatbot project. The initiative aimed to establish a public endpoint for DOE officials to query an early version of GSAi. However, internal documents suggest the project faced technical hurdles and was ultimately abandoned.

As federal agencies continue to navigate workforce reductions and digital transformation, AI chatbots like GSAi could become a staple in government operations. However, concerns around data privacy, accuracy, and effectiveness will likely shape the trajectory of AI adoption in the public sector.