Senators: “Given DOGE’s record of prioritizing chaos over competence, there is little reason to believe that DOGE’s AI chatbot would genuinely serve the needs of borrowers and families.”
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s (ED) federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.
“DOGE’s proposal threatens to misinform borrowers and families, lead to data privacy breaches, and pose conflicts of interest arising from Elon Musk’s financial stake in AI development,” wrote the senators.
Given that generative AI chatbots, such as Chat-GPT and Gemini, are known to “hallucinate” convincing but factually incorrect information, the senators raised concerns that a generative AI student aid chatbot could provide inaccurate information that, among other problems, could lead borrowers to enroll in a student loan repayment plan that is inappropriate for their financial situation, mislead students about their Pell Grant eligibility, or provide incorrect advice on how to interpret colleges’ financial aid offers or misinform families on how to fill out the FAFSA.
According to the senators, DOGE’s proposal also raises concerns regarding the privacy of students, families, and borrowers. Experts warn that if sensitive data is not properly safeguarded, generative AI chatbots could inadvertently leak personal data during interactions with users or even leave that data vulnerable to cybercriminals. The AI chatbot’s conversations with users would constitute yet another stream of government data that Mr. Musk could use to gain a competitive advantage for xAI.
“Given DOGE’s record of prioritizing chaos over competence, there is little reason to believe that DOGE’s AI chatbot would genuinely serve the needs of borrowers and families,” wrote the senators.
The senators demand a response from Secretary McMahon regarding their concerns by April 15, 2025.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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