Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann is under scrutiny after an editor's note revealed that artificial intelligence was used to condense an opinion piece he wrote for the Financial Times (FT). The note, appended to the top of the article titled "Trump is taxing the dark matter that pays America’s way," states that the FT's editorial code of conduct prohibits the use of AI in the writing process.
The publication confirmed to Fox News Digital that it would conduct an editorial review of the piece. Hausmann, director of the Center for International Development and a professor of development economics at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The opinion piece, published on August 13, argued that the recent increase in US tariffs had not significantly altered the country's current account deficit. The initial paragraph stated, "The verdict on the first full year of the largest US tariff increase in almost a century arrived quietly, in the tables of the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. America’s current account deficit in 2025 was $1.18tn — virtually identical to the year before. The most protectionist turn in living memory did not move the number it was meant to shrink."
AI detection software reportedly flagged a significant portion of the text as AI-generated. One analysis indicated that 71% of the content was AI-generated. The use of AI in the piece drew criticism online, with some calling it "AI slop."
This incident occurs as higher education institutions grapple with the implications of AI. While many universities have implemented AI policies and some instructors have reverted to traditional assessment methods, some experts suggest that educational systems are not adequately preparing students for a future where AI is ubiquitous. Christopher Dede, a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital that the focus should be on teaching skills that complement AI rather than solely on traditional academic reckoning, warning that current approaches may be preparing students "to lose to AI."