HHS Is Using AI Tools From Palantir to Target ‘DEI’ and ‘Gender Ideology’ in Grants (www.wired.com)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been utilizing AI tools from Palantir since March to screen grants and job descriptions for compliance with two recently issued executive orders from President Trump that target “gender ideology” and policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This initiative involves the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), which is responsible for family and child welfare funding, and it marks a significant shift in how federal grants are evaluated. The work, not publicly disclosed by HHS or Palantir, is primarily focused on identifying and addressing any references to DEI and related terms in grant applications, with initial flags generated by AI before a final manual review. The implications of this AI-driven approach are profound for the AI/ML community, highlighting the intersection of technology with governance and policy enforcement. The use of such tools in this context raises ethical concerns about how AI is employed to enforce political mandates that could potentially marginalize groups based on gender identity and DEI principles. Moreover, it suggests a growing trend of leveraging AI technologies in regulatory processes, which may influence how future AI applications are developed and governed to accommodate—or resist—political agendas, thereby affecting the discourse around the responsible use of AI in public policy.