Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller acknowledged Tuesday that he utilized artificial intelligence to help write a critical Wall Street Journal op-ed targeting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's proposed debt buybacks.
Druckenmiller, founder of Duquesne Capital and described as an early mentor to Bessent, stated his use of AI was a "no-brainer" and that he now employs the technology for most of his writing.
"Of course I used AI," Druckenmiller said in an interview with digital news outlet NOTUS. He compared his reliance on AI to using a calculator for mathematical problems, noting his background as an English major rather than an economist. "I’m not embarrassed by it… I write everything using AI now for the same reason I use a calculator when I do math problems."
NOTUS reported that its scan of Druckenmiller's op-ed using the AI detection tool Pangram indicated it was AI-generated, following similar allegations made on social media.
Paul Gigot, editorial page editor at The Wall Street Journal, defended Druckenmiller's use of AI, emphasizing the integrity and originality of the content. "AI is a fact of modern life. People will use it to assist in their work and their writing, including with research, checking grammar, editing and more," Gigot stated. "The question for us is whether what we publish from contributors reflects an author’s original argument, and if the author has the standing and credibility to make it. In Stan Druckenmiller’s case, we have had a relationship with him for many years, and nobody can doubt that his op-ed is his genuine opinion."
The Wall Street Journal's parent company, News Corp, also owns the New York Post. The Journal's website states that it uses AI tools for purposes such as translation and research, and that "Work that includes AI inputs is reviewed by a journalist before publishing."
Druckenmiller asserted that the core argument of the op-ed was his own, stating, "My name is on the piece. It’s my message." He also clarified that not the entire piece was written by AI, as he rejected several suggestions from the tool.
In his op-ed, titled "Let the Bond Speak," Druckenmiller criticized Bessent's plan to potentially double government buybacks to ease Treasury yields and reduce borrowing costs. Druckenmiller argued that the Treasury Department should instead focus on addressing the primary deficit through entitlement reform to share the burden across generations rather than disproportionately affecting younger ones.
Commentators noted that the op-ed contained phrasing patterns common in AI-generated text, such as the construction, "It’s not this, it’s that." Examples cited include: "This wasn’t liquidity management, it was price management;" "not a malfunction but the machine doing its job;" and "The bond market wasn’t being a vigilante, as some would argue. It was being a pushover."