Federal Government Utilizes ChatGPT to Decide on Grant Reduction for North Carolina Central University

In April 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) utilized ChatGPT to cancel a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant for North Carolina Central University (NCCU), prompting a lawsuit from several academic organizations. The American Council of Learned Societies, Authors’ Guild, American Historical Association, and Modern Language Association argue that DOGE’s actions violated the First Amendment and exceeded their legal authority. The lawsuit includes a 248-page document cataloging over 1,100 prompts submitted to ChatGPT, including one assessing whether NCCU’s grant project aligned with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) objectives. ChatGPT affirmed the project’s relevance, emphasizing its focus on creating teaching materials from digital archives to engage the university and Durham community. The grant, totaling $89,110, was terminated with only $5,977 remaining unused, leaving NCCU without crucial funding. This incident raises significant concerns about the intersection of AI, grant management, and academic freedom.

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