6 ms·

What evidence is there that tarrif policy was LLM generated?

by spooky_action 2y ago

calcifer 2y ago
There are uninhabited islands on the list.
- KoolKat23 2y ago
  Despite people's ridicule this is normal practice, prevents loopholes being exploited.
  - mr_toad 2y ago
    It seems more likely that bad data was involved. There are actually export statistics (obviously errors, possibly fraud) for these islands. Someone probably stuck the numbers in a formula without digging a little deeper.
    - KoolKat23 2y ago
      Well in this case it's also beneficial given how automated supply chains are. It's probably the most sane aspect of the whole thing.
    - Izkata 2y ago
      Yep, there is data saying those islands are exporting to the US: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/04/revealed-how-trump-tariffs-slugged-norfolk-island-and-uninhabited-heard-and-mcdonald-islands https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/04/revea...
af78 2y ago
There are people who asked several AI engines (ChatGPT, Grok etc.) “what should the tariff policy be to bring the trade balance to zero?” (quoting from memory) an the answer was the formula used by the Trump administration. If I find the references I will post them as a follow-up. Russia, North Korea and handful of other countries were spared, likely because they sided with the US and Russia at the UN General Assembly on Feb 24 of this year, in voting against “Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.” https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4076672 https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4076672 EDIT: Found it: https://nitter.net/krishnanrohit/status/1907587352157106292 https://nitter.net/krishnanrohit/status/1907587352157106292 Also discussed here: https://www.latintimes.com/trump-accused-using-chatgpt-create-tariff-plan-after-ai-leads-users-same-formula-so-ai-579899 https://www.latintimes.com/trump-accused-using-chatgpt-creat... The theory was first floated by Destiny, a popular political commentator. He accused the administration of using ChatGPT to calculate the tariffs the U.S. is charged by other countries, "which is why the tariffs make absolutely no fucking sense." "They're simply dividing the trade deficit we have with a country with our imports from that country, or using 10%, whichever is greater," Destiny, who goes by @TheOmniLiberal on X, shared in a post on Wednesday. > I think they asked ChatGPT to calculate the tariffs from other countries, which is why the tariffs make absolutely no fucking sense. > They're simply dividing the trade deficit we have with a country with our imports from that country, or using 10%, whichever is greater. https://t.co/Rc45V7qxHl https://t.co/Rc45V7qxHl pic.twitter.com/SUu2syKbHS > — Destiny | Steven Bonnell II (@TheOmniLiberal) April 2, 2025 He attached a screenshot of his exchange with the AI bot. He started by asking 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%." "To calculate tariffs that help level the playing field in terms of trade deficits (with a minimum tariff of 10%), you can use a proportional tariff formula based on the trade deficit with each country. The idea is to impose higher tariffs on countries with which the U.S. has larger trade deficits, thus incentivizing more balanced trade," the bot responded, along with a formula to use. John Aravosis, an influencer with a background in law and journalism, shared a TikTok video that then outlined how each tariff was calculated; by essentially taking the U.S. trade deficit with the country divided by the total imports from that country to the U.S. "Guys, they're setting U.S. trade policy based on a bad ChatGPT question that got it totally wrong. That's how we're doing trade war with the world," Aravosis proclaimed before adding the stock market is "totally crashing."

What evidence is there that tarrif policy was LLM generated?

calcifer 2y ago

There are uninhabited islands on the list.

KoolKat23 2y ago
Despite people's ridicule this is normal practice, prevents loopholes being exploited.
- mr_toad 2y ago
  It seems more likely that bad data was involved. There are actually export statistics (obviously errors, possibly fraud) for these islands. Someone probably stuck the numbers in a formula without digging a little deeper.
  - KoolKat23 2y ago
    Well in this case it's also beneficial given how automated supply chains are. It's probably the most sane aspect of the whole thing.
  - Izkata 2y ago
    Yep, there is data saying those islands are exporting to the US: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/04/revealed-how-trump-tariffs-slugged-norfolk-island-and-uninhabited-heard-and-mcdonald-islands https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/04/revea...

af78 2y ago

There are people who asked several AI engines (ChatGPT, Grok etc.) “what should the tariff policy be to bring the trade balance to zero?” (quoting from memory) an the answer was the formula used by the Trump administration. If I find the references I will post them as a follow-up. Russia, North Korea and handful of other countries were spared, likely because they sided with the US and Russia at the UN General Assembly on Feb 24 of this year, in voting against “Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.” https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4076672 https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4076672 EDIT: Found it: https://nitter.net/krishnanrohit/status/1907587352157106292 https://nitter.net/krishnanrohit/status/1907587352157106292 Also discussed here: https://www.latintimes.com/trump-accused-using-chatgpt-create-tariff-plan-after-ai-leads-users-same-formula-so-ai-579899 https://www.latintimes.com/trump-accused-using-chatgpt-creat... The theory was first floated by Destiny, a popular political commentator. He accused the administration of using ChatGPT to calculate the tariffs the U.S. is charged by other countries, "which is why the tariffs make absolutely no fucking sense." "They're simply dividing the trade deficit we have with a country with our imports from that country, or using 10%, whichever is greater," Destiny, who goes by @TheOmniLiberal on X, shared in a post on Wednesday. > I think they asked ChatGPT to calculate the tariffs from other countries, which is why the tariffs make absolutely no fucking sense. > They're simply dividing the trade deficit we have with a country with our imports from that country, or using 10%, whichever is greater. https://t.co/Rc45V7qxHl https://t.co/Rc45V7qxHl pic.twitter.com/SUu2syKbHS > — Destiny | Steven Bonnell II (@TheOmniLiberal) April 2, 2025 He attached a screenshot of his exchange with the AI bot. He started by asking 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%." "To calculate tariffs that help level the playing field in terms of trade deficits (with a minimum tariff of 10%), you can use a proportional tariff formula based on the trade deficit with each country. The idea is to impose higher tariffs on countries with which the U.S. has larger trade deficits, thus incentivizing more balanced trade," the bot responded, along with a formula to use. John Aravosis, an influencer with a background in law and journalism, shared a TikTok video that then outlined how each tariff was calculated; by essentially taking the U.S. trade deficit with the country divided by the total imports from that country to the U.S. "Guys, they're setting U.S. trade policy based on a bad ChatGPT question that got it totally wrong. That's how we're doing trade war with the world," Aravosis proclaimed before adding the stock market is "totally crashing."