The Hill: Senate Democrats open investigation into reports AI could replace contract workers at Education Department

Senate Democrats are opening an investigation into reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is attempting to replace some contract workers at the Education Department with artificial intelligence (AI).  

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon after The New York Times reported call centers that take questions from students and families about student aid could be replaced with an AI bot.  

“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,” the letter said.  

The call centers field around 15,000 questions per day from an average of 1,600 students and families. The proposal has been floated as the president is looking to dismantle the federal agency, laying off nearly half the Department of Education’s employees already.  

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