US Federal employees who were recently asked to outline their weekly work activities via email will have their responses analysed by artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the necessity of their roles, reported NBC based on source inputs. The AI system being used is a large language model (LLM), which is designed to process vast amounts of textual data, understand human language, and generate responses. This system will reportedly evaluate whether a federal worker’s job is essential or expendable, the sources said.
ORM Email Asks For 5 Bullet Points
The directive originated from an email sent by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) over the weekend, soon after Elon Musk posted on X that federal employees would be required to report their weekly contributions. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk stated.
However, the OPM email itself did not mention resignation but instead requested employees to list approximately five bullet points detailing their accomplishments. It also explicitly instructed recipients not to include classified information, links, or attachments.
As per NBC, sources indicated that the restriction on attachments was due to plans to feed the responses directly into the AI system. OPM did not immediately respond to requests for clarification on whether human reviewers would also assess the submissions. The White House also declined to comment.
Not Many Responses
By late Monday, following the deadline for responses, OPM had not provided information on the number of replies received or the number of employees required to respond. Meanwhile, a Justice Department email to its workforce stated that responses to the request were voluntary. It also clarified that not responding would not lead to termination, contradicting Musk’s initial post.
Musk later addressed criticism of the directive on X, writing, “The email request was utterly trivial… Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers. Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are being spent?”
The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!
Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers.
Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are… https://t.co/QjSmY4ezpg
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 24, 2025
He later suggested a second email might be sent to those who did not respond, warning that a second failure to comply could result in termination. The White House did not immediately comment on this statement, as per the report.
Trump Backs Musk
The policy has drawn significant backlash from federal employee unions and government workers. President Donald Trump, however, praised the initiative, saying, “I thought it was great,” while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. He claimed, without evidence, that the initiative was exposing employees who were not actually working, adding, “If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.”
A coalition of unions and organisations opposing the administration’s handling of federal employment has amended its ongoing lawsuit against OPM to include this new directive. Attorney Norm Eisen, representing the plaintiffs, criticised the process, stating, “The mass firings ordered by OPM are illegal and betray the trust of countless federal employees.” He further condemned the requirement for workers to justify their positions through bullet points as both insulting and legally questionable.
Musk, tasked by Trump with downsizing the government, is reportedly aiming to reduce the federal workforce by 10%. However, not all agencies have complied with the directive. The Justice Department instructed its employees not to respond, citing the sensitive nature of their work. Similarly, the FBI, State Department, Defense Department, National Institutes of Health, National Security Agency, and other agencies advised staff to disregard the request.
Some agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, informed employees that responding was voluntary. Meanwhile, judicial branch employees, including court staff and judges, also received the email, but certain court officials instructed personnel not to reply.
Within some government offices, managers even provided model responses to assist employees. At the Environmental Protection Agency, for instance, some managers shared example responses with their teams. “As empathy for their staff, they sent examples,” an EPA employee told reporters.
