Did Trump Admin Use ChatGPT to Allocate Tariffs? What We Know

(Newsweek) Internet analysts have taken note of the similarities between the Trump administration's formula used to decide the "Liberation Day" tariffs, and the same methods provided by ChatGPT if asked.

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The Context

The White House imposed a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports, including those from U.S. allies and non-economically active regions, along with higher rates for countries with large trade surpluses against the U.S., on Wednesday. The administration expects the new rates to remain in place until the U.S. narrows a $1.2 trillion trade imbalance recorded last year.

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What To Know

After the tariffs were announced, the White House released the formula reportedly used to set the tariffs: dividing the U.S. trade deficit with a given country by the value of U.S. imports from that country, then applying that percentage as a tariff. In some cases, a flat 10 percent rate was used if it was higher.

However, many pointed out that ChatGPT proposes the same approach if questioned on creating a global tariff policy. The White House has not commented on how the formula was created, so the similarities may simply be coincidental.

"I think they asked ChatGPT to calculate the tariffs from other countries, which is why the tariffs make absolutely no sense," political commentator Steve Bonnell wrote on X, formerly Twitter. .................(more)

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-tariffs-chatgpt-2055203