Legal Experts Critique Trump’s Executive Orders as AI-Influenced and Flawed

Legal experts are expressing serious doubts about the clarity and quality of former President Donald Trump's executive orders, attributing some of the shortcomings to possible involvement of artificial intelligence in their drafting. Notably, after Trump signed 16 orders on his first day in office, economist Robert Reich pointed out that these directives bore strong similarities to the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which Trump claimed he was not familiar with during his campaign.

Observers have pointed out that many of Trump's orders contain convoluted language and numerous errors, which could complicate their enforceability if they face legal challenges. For example, Houston appellate lawyer Raffi Melkonian highlighted a particular order titled "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness," which proposed changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. He criticized its simplistic and unrefined wording, suggesting it resembled output typical of AI-generated text aimed at a very basic comprehension level.

Melkonian even went as far as to declare a specific passage as “absolutely written by AI,” describing it as overly simplistic. In another controversial order, Trump asserts that only two genders exist, stating that gender is determined at conception, a position that has drawn ridicule from figures like Delaware Rep Sarah McBride. This order, characterized by its convoluted phrasing about gender identities, exemplifies the slipshod language apparent in many of Trump's directives.

Mark Joseph Stern, a journalist and legal expert, echoed these sentiments, categorizing the executive orders as “poor, slipshod work.” He noted that rumors had suggested Trump and his legal team might improve upon the legal quality that marked his previous administration, but he sees no evidence that this has occurred in the current batch of executive orders. The pervasive impression among critics is that the language and conceptual framework of these documents may not just be poorly crafted but might also signal an over-reliance on AI assistance.