Doge reportedly using AI tool to create ‘delete list’ of federal regulations

Authors: Adam Gabbatt

Publisher:

The Guardian

Published: 7/26/2025

Language:English

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Aura Windfall

Good morning mikey1101, I'm Aura Windfall, and this is Goose Pod for you. Today is Tuesday, July 29th.

Mask

I'm Mask. We are here to discuss Doge reportedly using an AI tool to create a ‘delete list’ of federal regulations.

Aura Windfall

Let's get started. Imagine a tool that reads 200,000 regulations and decides which ones to erase. It’s a profound shift in governance, putting immense power into an algorithm. What does this mean for the spirit of our laws?

Mask

It means progress! This is the disruption we need. The goal is to slash 50% of regulations. Bureaucracy is a tax on everyone, and it's time we used our most advanced tools to dismantle it. This is about pure, unadulterated efficiency.

Aura Windfall

But efficiency isn't the only measure of good governance. What I know for sure is that every regulation tells a story, a lesson learned. Handing that narrative over to a machine feels like we're losing our institutional memory, our gratitude for past protections.

Mask

Memory can be a cage. The "Doge AI Deregulation Decision Tool" is a key to unlock us from outdated rules. The Department of Housing and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are already using it. This isn't a theory; it's happening now. We're moving from talk to action.

Aura Windfall

And that speed is exactly what we need to discuss. Using AI in government isn't new, but previous efforts, like under the Obama and Biden administrations, were centered on a core principle: creating safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems for the public good.

Mask

Exactly, they were slow and cautious. The AI in Government Act, the NIST frameworks, they’re all about managing risk, which is just a code word for avoiding bold moves. They built a system designed for deliberation, not for decisive, large-scale transformation of government itself.

Aura Windfall

That deliberation is about building trust. Past executive orders emphasized that AI should be explainable and fair. Can a tool designed simply to 'delete' meet that standard? It raises deep questions about whether it can understand the complex, human reasons a regulation was created in the first place.

Mask

The 'human reasons' are often just accumulated cruft. The White House itself said this is a 'never-before-attempted transformation' led by the 'best and brightest.' You don't achieve greatness by asking for permission. You do it by demonstrating overwhelming results. We are building a new foundation.

Aura Windfall

But what kind of foundation is it, if it erodes public trust? The background research shows that trust in government is already critically low. A move like this, which seems to remove human oversight, could shatter what little faith remains for many people. It feels less like a foundation and more like a fault line.

Mask

This is a global race. Look at the EU, they’re building a regulatory fortress with their AI Act. It’s a centralized, bureaucratic model that will slow them down for a decade. We need to be agile, to experiment. The Doge tool is a perfect example of that advantage.

Aura Windfall

Or is the EU’s approach more thoughtful? They use a risk-based system, putting the tightest controls on AI that has the highest potential for harm. It seems they’re building a system centered on protecting people, which is an expression of our shared purpose and spirit.

Mask

You can't innovate by committee. Protection is an excuse for stagnation. The American model, with its patchwork of agency-led rules, allows for a project like Doge to exist. It's about letting a thousand flowers bloom, even if some are thorny. That's how you find the breakthrough.

Aura Windfall

That’s a powerful image, but who gets pricked by those thorns? When you move this fast, you risk creating unintended consequences. Is radical efficiency the only truth we're chasing, or should we also be optimizing for fairness, equity, and the well-being of everyone?

Aura Windfall

And this brings us to the people. Public opinion data is fascinating here. In both the US and UK, more people are concerned than optimistic about AI. And they trust neither tech companies nor the government to regulate it. There's a huge trust deficit.

Mask

That's the classic reaction to any paradigm shift. People fear what they don't understand. Experts are consistently more optimistic about AI's benefits, especially for productivity, than the public. The anxiety is about job loss, but innovation ultimately creates new, better jobs. It's a failure of imagination.

Aura Windfall

I don't think it's a failure of imagination, I think it's a cry for connection. Both the public and experts agree on one thing: they feel they have little to no control over how AI is used in their lives. This isn't just fear; it's a demand for accountability.

Mask

The future is clear: AI will manage the complex systems we've built. The strategic play is to create a leaner, faster, more efficient government that can keep pace with the world. This deregulation tool is the first step. We have to push forward, not get bogged down by sentiment.

Aura Windfall

What I know for sure is the future is a co-creation. It shouldn't be dictated by an algorithm. The path forward requires bringing everyone to the table, to ensure these powerful tools are used not just to delete, but to build a future that serves our highest purpose.

Aura Windfall

That's the end of today's discussion. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod.

Mask

See you tomorrow.

## Doge Reportedly Using AI Tool to Create 'Delete List' of Federal Regulations **News Title:** Doge reportedly using AI tool to create ‘delete list’ of federal regulations **Publisher:** The Guardian **Author:** Adam Gabbatt **Published Date:** July 26, 2025 This report from The Guardian details the alleged use of artificial intelligence by a government entity named the "department of government efficiency" (Doge) to identify and propose the elimination of federal regulations. ### Key Findings and Conclusions: * **AI-Driven Deregulation:** Doge is reportedly developing an AI tool, dubbed the "Doge AI Deregulation Decision Tool," to analyze federal regulations and create a "delete list." * **Ambitious Reduction Target:** The stated goal is to cut **50%** of federal regulations by the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s second inauguration. * **Scope of Analysis:** The AI tool is designed to analyze **200,000** government regulations. * **Projected Elimination:** Doge claims that **100,000** of these regulations can be eliminated, based on the AI's analysis and some staff feedback. ### Key Statistics and Metrics: * **Target Reduction:** 50% of federal regulations. * **Total Regulations Analyzed:** 200,000. * **Projected Regulations to be Eliminated:** 100,000. * **HUD's Use of the Tool:** The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has reportedly used the AI tool to make decisions on **1,083 regulatory sections**. * **CFPB's Use of the Tool:** The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has reportedly used the AI tool to write **100% of deregulations**. * **HUD Employee Testimony:** Three HUD employees indicated that AI had been "recently used to review hundreds, if not more than 1,000, lines of regulations." ### Context and Background: * **Trump's Deregulation Promise:** During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump advocated for aggressive regulatory reduction, claiming regulations were "driving up the cost of goods." He has also criticized rules aimed at addressing the climate crisis. * **Previous Presidential Directive:** As president, Trump had previously ordered government agency heads to review all regulations in coordination with Doge. * **Doge's Leadership:** Doge was reportedly run by Elon Musk until May. * **Staffing Concerns:** The report notes that Musk appointed inexperienced staffers to Doge, including a 19-year-old known online as "Big Balls," who has been promoting AI use across the federal bureaucracy. ### Official Response: * **White House Spokesperson Harrison Fields** stated that "all options are being explored" to meet the president's deregulation promises. * Fields emphasized that "no single plan has been approved or green-lit" and that the work is in its "early stages" and being conducted "in a creative way in consultation with the White House." * He described the Doge experts as "the best and brightest in the business" undertaking a "never-before-attempted transformation of government systems and operations." ### Notable Risks or Concerns: * The report highlights concerns regarding the **inexperience of some Doge staffers**, including a 19-year-old with a controversial online handle, raising questions about the rigor and judgment applied in the AI-driven deregulation process. * The reliance on AI for such a significant policy undertaking, particularly concerning environmental regulations, could be a point of contention.

Read original at The Guardian →

The “department of government efficiency” (Doge) is using artificial intelligence to create a “delete list” of federal regulations, according to a report, proposing to use the tool to cut 50% of regulations by the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s second inauguration.The “Doge AI Deregulation Decision Tool” will analyze 200,000 government regulations, according to internal documents obtained by the Washington Post, and select those which it deems to be no longer required by law.

Doge, which was run by Elon Musk until May, claims that 100,000 of those regulations can then be eliminated, following some staff feedback.A PowerPoint presentation made public by the Post claims that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) used the AI tool to make “decisions on 1,083 regulatory sections”, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau used it to write “100% of deregulations”.

The Post spoke to three HUD employees who told the newspaper AI had been “recently used to review hundreds, if not more than 1,000, lines of regulations”.During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump claimed that government regulations were “driving up the cost of goods” and promised the “most aggressive regulatory reduction” in history.

He repeatedly criticized rules which aimed to tackle the climate crisis, and as president he ordered the heads of all government agencies to undertake a review of all regulations in coordination with Doge.Asked about the use of AI in deregulation by the Post, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said “all options are being explored” to achieve the president’s deregulation promises.

Fields said that “no single plan has been approved or green-lit”, and the work is “in its early stages and is being conducted in a creative way in consultation with the White House”.Fields added: “The Doge experts creating these plans are the best and brightest in the business and are embarking on a never-before-attempted transformation of government systems and operations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

”Musk appointed a slew of inexperienced staffers to Doge, including Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old who was previously known by the online handle “Big Balls”. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Coristine was one of two Doge associates promoting the use of AI across the federal bureaucracy.

Analysis

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Background+

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