Federal workers who followed Elon Musk’s directive to justify their jobs in an email now have a new concern: AI could be deciding their fate.
The information from employees who responded to an email that asked them to list their accomplishments at work last week will first go through an advanced AI system that will determine whether their positions are necessary, three sources told NBC News.
Whether humans are involved in reviewing the responses—or making final decisions about job cuts—remains unclear. The revelation has sparked concerns about whether AI can fairly evaluate if workers are doing their job, and if their jobs are necessary.
ADVERTISEMENT
The White House, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which sent the email to federal workers, did not immediately answer NBC’s request for comment as to whether humans will review the responses.
On Monday evening, Musk gave federal employees a second deadline to respond to the email OPM sent to millions of employees, telling them to reply with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week,” and to copy their managers.
According to the sources, the email requested that no links or attachments be sent because the information was to be fed to the AI system, a Large Language Model (LLM).
But Musk denied that an LLM will be used, claiming on X, “No LLM needed here.” He followed up with a not so subtle threat “Lot of people in for a rude awakening and strong dose of reality. They don’t get it yet, but they will.”
While Musk has said failure to respond to OPM’s email will lead to termination, some agencies—including OPM itself—have told their employees that responding is optional.
Other agencies have gone further, telling their employees not to respond at all. That includes agencies led by Trump allies, including the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Departments of State, Defense, and Energy.
