Lawsuit Claims DOGE Used ChatGPT to Flag, Cancel High Point Museum Grant

Court documents filed in a federal lawsuit allege that a Department of Government Efficiency staffer fed the High Point Museum's grant description into ChatGPT, the AI returned "Yes" classifying it as DEI-related, and the grant was subsequently canceled. The chatbot's recorded explanation: "Improving HVAC systems enhances preservation conditions for collections, aligning with the goal of providing greater access to diverse audiences. #DEI."

The grant, reported as $349,000 by ARTnews, was intended to replace or improve the museum's HVAC system to better preserve its collections. The High Point Museum was among more than 1,400 organizations nationwide that lost federal humanities funding last spring after DOGE staff used the AI chatbot to screen National Endowment for the Humanities grants for elimination.

According to court documents filed March 6 in a consolidated lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, DOGE staff members Justin Fox and Nathan Cavanaugh terminated 97% of NEH's active grant portfolio in April 2025, cutting more than $100 million in congressionally appropriated funds in a matter of days. Fox's deposition, included in the filings, states that employees used ChatGPT to analyze grant descriptions and recorded the chatbot's responses and explanations in a spreadsheet that guided cancellation decisions. Plaintiffs allege Fox never instructed ChatGPT on what definition of DEI to apply and did nothing to ensure the model would not classify grants based on race, gender, or other protected characteristics.

The High Point Museum was not the only North Carolina institution affected. Court documents also identify a proposal from North Carolina Central University, a historically Black university in Durham, to develop teaching materials using digital archival collections. ChatGPT flagged that project as DEI-related as well. Court documents reference two additional North Carolina projects flagged by the same spreadsheet process.

The lawsuit, consolidated from two separate cases, was brought by the American Council of Learned Societies and the American Historical Association, with the Authors Guild also listed among plaintiffs in some filings. The groups argue the terminations violated the First Amendment, the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the constitutional separation of powers, on the grounds that Congress never granted DOGE any authority over NEH grants. DOGE was established by executive order in January 2025. Plaintiffs are seeking a court order vacating all terminations and a permanent injunction preventing the grants from being canceled again on the same grounds.

Paula Krebs, executive director of the Modern Language Association, characterized the lawsuit's findings in stark terms. "The facts in this case have exposed the administration's total disregard for the democratic process and for the value of the humanities that the NEH exists to promote," Krebs said in a statement.

A hearing on the motion for summary judgment had not been scheduled as of this report. WFMY News 2 reported it had reached out to the High Point Museum for comment; the museum had not publicly responded at the time the story was filed.