DOGE: when a student puts AI at the heart of federal deregulation
An article inArs Technica reports that a 3rd-year student at the University of Chicago, Christopher Sweet, has just been propelled into the heart of the federal administration: within the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) headed by Elon Musk, he is piloting a project touse AI to rewrite and lighten the regulations of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). WIRED
Who is Christopher Sweet?
In his early twenties and with no government experience, Sweet was introduced to HUD staff as a “special assistant” (a title described internally as “AI computer programming quant analyst”). Originally from San Francisco, he is studying economics and data science, but is currently on academic leave. WIRED
Its mission
Sweet runs an in-house AI tool responsible for comparing each HUD regulation to the laws on which it is based, detecting “excesses” and suggesting replacement text. It has already produced a spreadsheet of some 1,000 regulations deemed suitable for shortening or elimination. The HUD teams now have to justify, point by point, the rules they wish to retain. WIRED
Why is it controversial?
- Access to sensitive data: the student has read access to several internal databases, including the Public and Indian Housing Information Center and the income verification system.
- Contested method: legal experts point out that each rule already goes through a lengthy adversarial process provided for by the Administrative Procedure Act; automating its revision would therefore be redundant and legally risky.
- Policy framework: the initiative is part of Project 2025, the roadmap to massive deregulation promoted by the Trump administration. WIRED
Reactions
HUD officers find the combination of “AI + novice” on such a sensitive area as public housing worrying, while Congresswoman Maxine Waters accuses DOGE of “infiltrating our housing agencies” and compromising residents’ privacy. WIRED
To remember
- Symbol of express deregulation: entrusting AI (and a student) with the task of rewriting thousands of pages of rules marks a radical change in method.
- Debate on legitimacy and transparency: Sweet’s lack of administrative expertise and the opacity of the AI model are fuelling a climate of mistrust.
- A possible snowball effect: the DOGE is already considering extending this tool to other federal agencies.