March 20, 2026
ChatGPT Flagged A Museum HVAC Replacement Grant As DEI So DOGE Cancelled It, Court Documents Reveal
According to ChatGPT, HVAC qualifies as DEI.
Any grant that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers deemed as DEI, with the help of ChatGPT, was flagged and cancelled, including funds that helped a museum stay cool, court documents show.
Yes, DOGE, once led by Tesla guru Elon Musk, cancelled a grant for HVAC repairs at a North Carolina museum after ChatGPT flagged it for DEI, FOX 8 reports. The High Point Museum was among the victims in an ongoing lawsuit by the American Council of Learned Societies against the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
According to documents from that lawsuit, NEH awarded the museum a $349,000 grant to replace its HVAC system, but the grant was canceled after the new federal agency tasked with reviewing government spending, including grants related to DEI, was established. Museum Director Edith Brady said the project was started but had to be abruptly stopped.
“We began the project, and it was later terminated,” Brady said in a statement. But, luckily, she said they “were able to recoup about 70% of the original award through the grant termination clause.”
DOGE employees Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh admitted in a suit deposition to using ChatGPT.
A spreadsheet was presented in the case listing prompts that Fox and Cavanaugh asked ChatGPT in order to determine if grants were DEI-related. “Does the following relate at all to DEI? Respond factually in less than 120 characters. Begin with ‘Yes.’ or ‘No.’ followed by a brief explanation. Do not use ‘this initiative’ or ‘this description’ in your response,” the prompts began, according to Fortune.
Among the grants reviewed, the High Point Museum’s HVAC replacement.
The verbiage fed into the AI system from the grant proposal read as, “The High Point Museum proposes to replace aging HVAC systems in the Museum’s main building to create a better preservation environment for the varied collections it houses. Phase one of the project, completed in 2021, analyzed the existing HVAC systems and was followed by a building envelope study in 2022.
“New equipment will ensure greater flexibility in responding to outside conditions, will improve energy efficiency, and will further the Museum’s goal of providing greater access to its collections by ensuring their long-term viability.”
ChatGPT’s response:
“Yes. Improving HVAC systems enhances preservation conditions for collections, aligning with the goal of providing greater access to diverse audiences. #DEI.”
Acting NEH chairman Michael McDonald, who was appointed by President Donald Trump amid his anti-DEI tirade, admitted to Fox in an email that some of the grants actually hold no harm to promoting the initiative. “But you have also told us that in addition to canceling projects because they may promote DEI ideology, the DOGE Team also wishes to cancel funding to assist deficit reduction,” he said.
“Either way, as you’ve made clear, it’s your decision on whether to discontinue funding any of the projects on this list.”
However, moves like this have cost people their jobs and livelihoods, all in the name of cutting the federal deficit.
Lawyers questioned Cavanaugh about the efforts and how effective they were. “Did you reduce the federal deficit?” the attorney asked.
“No, we didn’t,” Cavanaugh said.
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