The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has developed SweetREX, an AI tool designed to automatically review federal regulations and identify rules for elimination across US government agencies. Created by Christopher Sweet, a University of Chicago undergraduate who took leave to join DOGE, the tool aims to support President Trump’s deregulation agenda by reducing the time needed to review regulations from months to just hours or days.
What you should know: SweetREX operates by scanning federal regulations to flag sections it deems unnecessary based on statutory requirements, then generates draft revisions for government review.
- The tool primarily uses Google’s Gemini AI models and is being developed by DOGE associates operating from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
- Government attorneys and policymakers can review the AI’s proposed changes and make adjustments before implementation.
- The system also categorizes public comments on proposed regulatory changes into AI-determined “buckets” and identifies whether commenters are individuals or “sophisticated” corporate entities.
The big picture: This represents a concrete step toward DOGE’s ambitious goal of eliminating “50 percent of all federal regulations,” according to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post.
- The tool supports Trump’s “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation” executive order, which aims to “promote prudent financial management and alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens.”
- Industrial-scale deregulation is a core component of Project 2025, the conservative policy blueprint serving as a playbook for the second Trump administration.
Key details: The rollout involves coordination across multiple federal agencies, with plans to expand beyond HUD.
- Wednesday’s demonstration call included staffers from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of State, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
- Scott Langmack, a DOGE-affiliated senior adviser at HUD and chief operating officer of proptech company Kukun, is leading the tool’s deployment to different agencies.
- Sweet told colleagues that “a lot of the productivity boosts will come from the tools that are built around these platforms,” referring to AI systems from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI.
Mixed reactions: Government workers have expressed varying responses to the AI deregulation efforts.
- A HUD employee previously told WIRED that reviewing AI-flagged regulations to explain why they might still be needed was “painful.”
- However, several participants on Wednesday’s call praised SweetREX as “awesome” and “great.”
- Someone identified as Steve Davis—potentially Elon Musk’s top lieutenant who previously ran DOGE—asked about open-sourcing the software on GitHub.
Why this matters: The deployment of AI for systematic deregulation represents an unprecedented use of artificial intelligence to reshape government oversight and regulatory frameworks.
- The tool could significantly accelerate the pace of deregulation across federal agencies, potentially affecting everything from environmental protections to financial regulations.
- The involvement of a college undergraduate as the primary developer raises questions about the expertise and oversight guiding such consequential policy automation.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...