Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann was flagged after the Financial Times appended an editorial note saying AI was used to condense a longer draft of his op-ed.
The FT’s note said its editorial code prohibits the use of AI in the writing process, and the column drew online criticism for awkward prose and an AI-detector readout that labelled the 841-word piece as 71% AI-generated.
“I find this astonishing, both in its writing and its publication,” Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal wrote, reflecting commentators who said the episode undercuts efforts to curb low-quality AI-assisted public writing.
Hausmann’s column, which criticised President Trump’s tariffs, prompted dismay from some in the Harvard Kennedy School community and on social media, where posts called the piece “AI slop.”
The episode lands against a broader debate about “AI slop” and academic integrity as universities and publications weigh how strictly to enforce bans on AI-generated text.
Hausmann did not immediately respond to requests for comment and the FT and Harvard Kennedy School were approached for comment, the Post reported.
