Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts USD 135 Mn in Funding to Combat Deepfakes

According to reports, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is cutting approximately $135 million in funding for research grants from the National Science Foundation, a key federal agency supporting artificial intelligence development.

The cuts affect dozens of active grants, including several programs aimed at combating misinformation and AI deepfakes, according to the document. The move came after three DOGE members began reviewing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs last week, according to the people, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. DOGE is not an official government department, but it is part of the White House's efforts to reduce government spending.

NSF will no longer fund research aimed at combating misinformation. The realignment of its priorities is intended to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order from January, which stated that such efforts could violate free speech. Project2025, a set of proposals led by the Heritage Foundation for a second Trump administration, foreshadowed this policy shift by stating that the government has "absolutely no business policing speech."

However, the decision to cancel grants for research projects aimed at detecting and preventing deepfakes surprised many within the agency, according to the sources.The cuts risk undermining federal support for AI safeguards at a time when AI tools are increasingly capable of producing convincing fake images and text that can deceive and scam users. 

According to the document, among the canceled grants are a $5 million program at the University of Buffalo aimed at educating older adults about AI-generated online scams and a deepfake detection tool being developed at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Similar programs at the University of South Carolina and the University of Mississippi will also face funding cuts.

The NSF laid off 170 employees in February, including a large number of artificial intelligence specialists. A court later ruled that the firings were illegal, resulting in the reinstatement of 84 employees, but many AI experts have yet to return to the agency, according to the people. According to the sources, further cuts are expected in the coming weeks.