Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann criticized for AI-generated Financial Times op-ed

Ricardo Hausmann, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and former Venezuelan government minister, has faced intense criticism after an op-ed he wrote for the Financial Times was found to be largely AI-generated. The article, which criticized Donald Trump’s tariff policies, drew scrutiny from readers who noted its stilted and mechanical prose.

The Financial Times appended an editorial note to the piece, stating, “AI was used to condense a longer draft of this column prior to submission to the FT and our own editorial involvement.” The publication further clarified that its editorial code of conduct specifically prohibits the use of AI in the writing process.

Social media users labeled the content “AI slop,” a term used to describe low-quality, machine-generated text. An analysis by the AI detector Pangram indicated that the 841-word article was 71% AI-generated. The incident has sparked debate within academia regarding the use of generative tools, with critics noting the difficulty of encouraging students to maintain creativity and individuality when prominent academics utilize such technology.