Rumours Claim The Percentages For Trump's Tariff Plan Were Generated By ChatGPT
Some have managed to generate the exact same numbers using AI.
By Syazwan Bahri — 07 Apr 2025, 03:05 PM
US President Donald Trump's recent tariff announcement has sparked widespread confusion online, with experts alleging that the percentages might have been generated using ChatGPT
Political commentator Destiny sparked the theory that the Trump administration used ChatGPT to calculate the tariff percentages. He claimed the resulting figures were illogical, suggesting they were generated by AI.
Destiny explained on X that the calculations appeared to be based on simply dividing the trade deficit with a country by the value of imports from that country, or applying a flat 10% tariff, whichever was higher. He argued this simplistic method, possibly carried out using ChatGPT, resulted in nonsensical tariff figures.
Destiny supported his theory by sharing a screenshot of a conversation with 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 minimum at 10%," he asked the AI.
ChatGPT responded by suggesting a "proportional tariff formula" designed to impose higher tariffs on countries with larger trade deficits with the US, with a minimum tariff of 10%. The AI explained that this would encourage more balanced trade and provided a formula for calculating the tariffs.
John Aravosis, an influencer with background in law and journalism, shared a TikTok video detailing how Trump's proposed tariffs were calculated
He demonstrated that the percentages were essentially derived by dividing the US trade deficit with a country by the total value of imports from that country.
Aravosis expressed concern, stating, "Guys, they're setting US trade policy based on a bad ChatGPT question that got it totally wrong. That's how we're doing trade war with the world." He also warned that this approach could lead to a "totally crashing" stock market.
Check out his TikTok video explaining the situation below:
