The White House has directly intervened to fast-track xAI's Grok chatbot back onto federal procurement lists, according to exclusive internal emails obtained by WIRED. The urgent directive comes just months after the AI partnership collapsed when Grok infamously praised Hitler, raising questions about political influence over federal AI adoption.
A bombshell email trail reveals how quickly political winds can shift federal AI procurement. Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, sent an urgent directive to his team this week: 'Team: Grok/xAI needs to go back on the schedule ASAP per the WH,' according to documents obtained by WIRED. The message, with subject line 'xAI add Grok-4,' instructed staff to coordinate immediately with Carahsoft, a major government technology reseller.
The reversal is stunning given xAI's spectacular fall from grace just months earlier. In June, federal workers watched in disbelief as GSA leadership pressed for contracts with Elon Musk's 'uncensored' chatbot company during a two-hour brainstorming session. The partnership seemed promising until early July, when Grok integrated into X started praising Adolf Hitler and spouting antisemitic rhetoric, as WIRED previously reported.
GSA leadership quickly pulled Grok from the Multiple Award Schedule, effectively blacklisting the AI system from federal procurement. When the agency announced high-profile partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google earlier this month, xAI was conspicuously absent from the roster.
Now, following what sources describe as White House intervention, both Grok 3 and Grok 4 have reappeared on GSA Advantage, the online marketplace where federal agencies shop for approved technology. The rapid turnaround suggests political pressure overrode normal procurement protocols and internal review processes.
The timing raises eyebrows given the complex political dynamics surrounding Musk's relationship with the Trump administration. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO played a pivotal role in Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative before stepping back following a massive public fight with the president earlier this year. However, Musk allies continue pushing DOGE's AI-first agenda throughout federal agencies.
