HHS Using Palantir AI to Screen for DEI and ‘Gender Ideology’ in Compliance with Trump Executive Orders

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been employing Palantir’s AI tools to audit grants, applications, and job descriptions to ensure compliance with President Trump’s executive orders against “gender ideology” and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to a recently published inventory of HHS AI use cases for 2025.

Key Findings on Government AI Screening

Neither Palantir nor HHS has publicly disclosed this specific use of AI technology. During Trump’s second term, Palantir received over $35 million from HHS alone, with transaction descriptions omitting any mention of DEI or “gender ideology” screening work.

The AI-based audits are primarily occurring within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), which oversees foster care, adoption systems, and family welfare programs. Palantir serves as the sole contractor tasked with identifying “position descriptions that may need to be adjusted for alignment with recent executive orders.”

Credal AI, founded by former Palantir employees, has also been involved in this effort, helping ACF review “existing grants and new grant applications” through an AI system that flags content for human review. The company received approximately $750,000 from ACF for its generative AI platform, though official payment records don’t reference DEI or ideology screening.

Executive Orders and Their Impact

Two executive orders drive these screening efforts: Executive Order 14151 (“Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs”) and Executive Order 14168 (“Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism”). Both were issued on Trump’s first day back in office.

The first order mandates ending any policies, programs, or grants mentioning DEI, equity, or environmental justice. The second order requires all federal interpretations of “sex” to be limited to “male” and “female” as “immutable biological classifications” and prohibits federal funds from promoting what it terms “gender ideology.”

Widespread Consequences

The implementation of these orders has had significant effects across government agencies and beyond:

• The National Science Foundation began flagging research containing terms like “female,” “inclusion,” and “underrepresented”
• The CDC retracted research mentioning LGBT-related terms and stopped processing transgender-related data
• Nearly $3 billion in grants were frozen or terminated across scientific agencies
• Multiple agencies experienced layoffs and staff reassignments
• Transgender individuals were excluded from various federal programs
• Over 1,000 nonprofit organizations rewrote mission statements to remove DEI-adjacent language

Palantir’s Government Contracts

Palantir has prospered during Trump’s second administration, earning over $1 billion in net payments and obligations in the first year—up from $808 million in the previous year. Its largest federal customers are the US Army and Air Force.

The company also maintains significant contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), earning $81 million in the year following Trump’s second inauguration—a substantial increase from $20.4 million the previous year. These contracts include developing systems for tracking deportations and enhancing enforcement capabilities.

While Palantir’s leadership has defended its ICE work, internal employee discussions have questioned the company’s relationship with the agency, particularly following controversial enforcement operations.