I Asked ChatGPT To Explain DOGE Like I’m 12 — Here’s What It Said

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Matters of finances and government can be complicated enough as an adult. Explaining those matters to someone who’s 12 years old can seem impossible.

With ChatGPT, you can explain even the most complicated concepts to kids without overwhelming them. This includes the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is a recent initiative to cut federal spending.

Here’s how AI is currently explaining what DOGE means and its responsibilities.

What Is DOGE — According to AI

GOBankingRates asked ChatGPT the following: “Explain the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) like I’m 12.”

Here’s what it said:

“Imagine the government is like a big school with lots of teachers, principals and staff. Sometimes, the school can be slow, and things don’t always run smoothly because there are too many rules or too much paperwork. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is like a special team of helpers that comes in to fix that. They look at how everything works in the government, find ways to make things faster and easier, and help save time and money.”

According to this response, DOGE is basically a department whose sole goal is to make the government work faster and better. It exists to make the government run as efficiently as possible.

ChatGPT also said:

“It’s kind of like if you had a big, messy room at home. You’d get a bunch of people to come in, organize everything, throw away the stuff you don’t need and make sure it’s easier to find your toys. That’s what DOGE does for the government — it makes sure everything is running smoothly and that things get done in the best way possible!”

ChatGPT’s Accuracy and DOGE’s Savings to Date

It’s true that DOGE was established to cut unnecessary federal spending. In an interview with Time, President Donald Trump made the following statement:

“DOGE has been a very big success. We found hundreds of billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.”

Elon Musk’s original goal with DOGE was to save around $2 trillion, which was later reduced to $1 trillion, then again to $160 billion. The estimated federal savings DOGE reports is currently closer to $165 billion, but the savings specified on the DOGE website verify less than $65 billion in savings.

In addition, DOGE carries with it significant controversy, with many concerned about Musk — who was not elected but appointed to his position by Trump — having access to taxpayers’ private information and a great deal of control over government spending. Some believe he is cutting expenses too fast and doing more harm than good — DOGE had cut around 280,000 jobs from the federal government as of early April.

DOGE is complicated, and AI doesn’t always give the whole story. Still, if you want a basic overview of what DOGE — or another complicated topic — means, ChatGPT will give you the gist.

Final Take To GO: Current State of DOGE After Elon Musk’s Exit

As DOGE enters a new era after its unpredictable leader, Elon Musk, unceremoniously departed his position and the Trump administration’s good graces, the department itself is looking to further its reach when overseeing government spending. Here are a few key takeaways as to where DOGE currently stands:

• The White House administration is still very much planning on using DOGE to implement plans to revamp federal bureaucracy as President Trump sees fit. 
• So far, key players that have left DOGE include Musk, Steve Davis, James Burnham and Katie Miller.
• Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget and currently rumored to be replacing Musk as head of DOGE, loves slashing government spending and bureaucracy, told a House Appropriations Committee hearing earlier this month that a goal would be to have DOGE “far more institutionalized at the actual agency” level moving forward.
• DOGE is also said to be playing a key role in Project 2025 initiatives as part of the Trump agenda. 

Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.

Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.

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