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Harvard professor slammed for using AI to write to write anti-Trump op-ed: ‘Worst slop I’ve seen’

Nypost · · 378 words · By Anthony Blair
AI Ethics in Journalism Political polarization Academic Integrity
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What to know about AI Ethics in Journalism

Harvard professor slammed for using AI to write to write anti-Trump op-ed: ‘Worst slop I’ve seen’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Harvard professor slammed for using AI to write to write anti-Trump op-ed: ‘Worst slop I’ve seen’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google A Harvard professor is in hot water over claims that an anti-President Trump opinion article he wrote for the Financial Times was almost entirely AI-generated, with some branding it “slop.” The article, by former Venezuelan…

Common ground

“The FT editorial code of conduct specifically prohibits the use of AI in the writing process,” the statement continues.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/media/harvard-prof-slammed-for-using-ai-to-write-t…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified Verified 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: ““The FT editorial code of conduct specifically prohibits the use of AI in the writing process,” the statement continues.”
CORROBORATED
The claim that the FT editorial code prohibits AI in the writing process is mentioned in multiple search results regarding this specific incident.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The AI bubble is a concept that asserts there is a stock market bubble growing since 2025 amid the AI boom, a period of rapid increase in investment in artificial intelligence (AI) that is affecting t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_bubble
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Claude is a series of large language models (LLMs) developed by American software company Anthropic. Claude was released as an AI-based chatbot in March 2023. It is also used in AI-assisted software d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_(AI)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World is a 2024 book by Parmy Olson that won the Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. The book explores the story of the competitio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supremacy_(book)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “Michael Socolow of the University of Maine in a social media post”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'Michael Socolow' returned irrelevant results about Archangel Michael and Michael Jackson, providing no evidence of his affiliation with the University of Maine.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Catholics often refer to Michael as "Holy Michael, the Archangel" [46] or "Saint Michael". He is generally referred to in Christian litanies as "Saint Michael", as in the Litany of the Saints.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop ", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 24, 2026 · The early life of musician Michael Jackson, from the discovery of his talent as the lead of the Jackson Five to the artist whose creative ambition fueled a pursuit to become the biggest…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11378946/
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Claim 3: “A Harvard professor is in hot water over claims that an anti-President Trump opinion article he wrote for the Financial Times was almost entirely AI-generated”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann is facing controversy over an anti-Trump op-ed in the Financial Times that was found to be largely AI-generated.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 3 January 2026, the United States launched a military strike in Venezuela and captured incumbent Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The US operation, codenamed Operatio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_interventio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeffrey David Sachs ( SAKS; born November 5, 1954) is an American economist and public policy analyst. He is a professor at Columbia University, at which he was formerly director of The Earth Institut…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Sachs
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — United States government sanctions are financial and trade restrictions imposed against individuals, entities, and jurisdictions whose actions contradict U.S. foreign policy or national security goals…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_government_sanct…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “Another X user shared a grab from AI detector Pangram, which showed that the 841-word piece was 71% AI-generated.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that Pangram is an AI detector used in high-profile accusations, but the specific statistic (841 words, 71% AI) is not corroborated by a second independent source in the provided text.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Pangram is an artificial intelligence detection software developed to identify text produced by large language models, developed by Brooklyn-based Pangram Labs. It has been used in a number of high-pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangram_(AI_detector)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — To detect AI, Pangram uses a method called “synthetic mirroring” by which it takes human writing and has LLMs generate a close match. This teaches its model how AI writes.
https://www.wired.com/story/pangram-has-emerged-as-the-gold-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “There is a great responsibility, a huge weight” in saying something is AI-generated, Max Spero, Pangram’s CEO, told me. “The only reason we do so is because we’re extremely confident.” Several indepe…
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/pangram-ai-de…
verified
Claim 5: “a top Harvard Kennedy School of Government academic”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and official Growth Lab sources confirm Ricardo Hausmann is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ricardo Hausmann is the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy and the founder and Faculty Director of Harvard's Growth Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Hausmann
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Harvard Kennedy School.Since 2000, Hausmann has been a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he is the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political…
https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/news/ricardo-hausmann-name…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann has been accused of using AI to write an op-ed in the Financial Times. Europa Press via Getty Images. "The FT editorial code of conduct specifically prohibits the us…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/harvard-profess…
info
Claim 6: ““It has come to our attention that AI was used to condense a longer draft of this column prior to submission to the FT and our own editorial involvement,” reads the editorial note at the top of the piece.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general fact of the disclaimer is corroborated, the specific verbatim quote provided in the claim is not explicitly repeated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence, though it aligns with the reported narrative.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sir Demis Hassabis (born 27 July 1976) is a British artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and entrepreneur. He is the chairman and co-founder of Google DeepMind and the chief scientist of Alphabet, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demis_Hassabis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are a pair of Android-based smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successors to the Pixel 7 an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_8
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ricardo Hausmann (born 1956) is the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy and the founder (2006) and Faculty Director of Harvard's Growth Lab at the Harvard Kennedy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Hausmann
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 7: “Hausmann, 70, a former government minister in his native Venezuela”
VERIFIED
Wikipedia and web search results confirm Ricardo Hausmann is a former minister of planning of Venezuela. His birth year is listed as 1956, which makes him approximately 70 years old (given the 2026 context of the live evidence).
help
Claim 8: “Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Joe Weisenthal's affiliation with Bloomberg.
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Claim 9: “the op-ed, which criticized President Trump’s tariffs”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm the op-ed was about President Trump's tariff strategies and was critical of them.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 3 January 2026, the United States launched a military strike in Venezuela and captured incumbent Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The US operation, codenamed Operatio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_interventio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Complexity economics, or economic complexity, is the application of complexity science to the problems of economics. It relaxes several common assumptions in economics, including general equilibrium t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_economics
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeffrey David Sachs ( SAKS; born November 5, 1954) is an American economist and public policy analyst. He is a professor at Columbia University, at which he was formerly director of The Earth Institut…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Sachs
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Claim 10: “The article, by former Venezuelan government minister Ricardo Hausmann, now includes a disclaimer from the FT following its publication on Thursday”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly state that the Financial Times added a disclaimer to the article by Ricardo Hausmann admitting it was crafted using AI.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. A broader reduction of economic activity affecting the whol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_crisis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Financial fragility is the vulnerability of a financial system to a financial crisis. Franklin Allen and Douglas Gale define financial fragility as the degree to which "...small shocks have disproport…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_fragility
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ricardo Hausmann (born 1956) is the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy and the founder (2006) and Faculty Director of Harvard's Growth Lab at the Harvard Kennedy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Hausmann
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.