College Student Leads AI Review of HUD Rules

Christopher Sweet, a third-year University of Chicago undergraduate with no prior government experience, has been appointed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a special assistant at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to lead an AI-driven review of housing regulations, with a focus on the Office of Public and Indian Housing. Sweet's main responsibility is to use artificial intelligence to analyze HUD regulations, compare them to legislative mandates, and identify rules for potential relaxation or removal. He has been granted access to sensitive HUD data and has already produced a spreadsheet cataloging possible regulatory overreach for internal staff review. This initiative is part of the Trump administration's Project 2025, which targets aggressive deregulation and agency restructuring, including a freeze on $1 billion in affordable housing programs. The move has drawn controversy due to Sweet’s inexperience and the potential effects on millions who depend on HUD services. Critics argue the use of AI and a college student for such significant policy changes poses substantial risks.