Were Trump’s Tariffs created using AI?

President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on most goods imported into the US.

The measures affect over 100 countries, including some uninhabited territories in the middle of the ocean.

Economists say the tariffs could worsen an already fragile global economy, pushing it closer to recession.

But a stranger detail has now emerged. The tariff formula appears eerily similar to one generated by artificial intelligence.

According to Cointelegraph, the US tariff rate on a country is calculated by dividing its trade deficit with the US by the value of total imports and then dividing that result by two.

Observers pointed out that AI tools like ChatGPT often use that exact logic when asked to propose “fair” tariffs.

Crypto trader Jordan ‘Cobie’ Fish asked ChatGPT:

“What would be an easy way to calculate the tariffs that should be imposed on other countries so that the US is on even playing fields when it comes to trade deficit? Set a minimum of ten per cent.”

The chatbot returned a formula nearly identical to Trump’s but with an important disclaimer.

ChatGPT wrote: “This method ignores the intricate dynamics of international trade, such as elasticities, retaliatory measures, and supply chain nuances, but it provides a blunt, proportional rule to ‘level the playing field’.”

The similarity prompted scepticism.

Journal of Public Economics editor Wojtek Kopczuk tweeted:

“Confirmed, ChatGPT…

“Exactly what the dumbest kid in the class would do, without edits.”

Futurism reported that further examples emerged.

Elon Musk’s Grok AI offered a similar answer to the same prompt.

Grok wrote: “This method assumes tariffs directly reduce imports by raising prices, but in reality, factors like demand elasticity, currency exchange rates, and global supply chains complicate the outcome.

“It also risks retaliation or higher costs for US consumers.

“For a truly ‘even playing field,’ you’d need to consider production costs, subsidies, and labour standards abroad, data that’s harder to quantify simply.”

Anthropic’s Claude chatbot produced a near-identical result, with similar warnings.

There is no hard evidence that the Trump administration used AI to create the tariff plan. But the striking overlap is raising eyebrows.

One wrote: “I suspect this is also why countries like Iran, which we basically do not trade with, gets off so easily.

“No trade = no trade deficit!”

The White House has previously been accused of using AI to generate poorly worded executive orders.

It has also promoted the use of AI in government, launching chatbots and praising their role in decision-making.

But experts say the core issue is not how the tariffs were devised, it’s the consequences.

London School of Economics professor Thomas Sampson said:

“There is no economic rationale for doing this and it will cost the global economy dearly.”

Markets are already reacting. Wall Street opened sharply lower as investors processed the potential global fallout.

Whether AI played a role or not, the economic storm may just be getting started.