Wall Street Journal: Billionaire did not violate policies by using AI for op-ed

Paul Gigot, the editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal, said investor Stanley Druckenmiller did not violate the Journal’s policies when he used artificial intelligence to write an op-ed the outlet published Monday.

Gigot noted Tuesday that people use AI, which he called a “fact of modern life,” to “assist in their work and their writing, including with research, checking grammar, editing” and other tasks.

“The question for us is whether what we publish from contributors reflects an author’s original argument, and if the author has the standing and credibility to make it,” Gigot said in a statement, as reported by multiple outlets . “In Stan Druckenmiller’s case, we have had a relationship with him for many years, and nobody can doubt that his op-ed is his genuine opinion.”

In the piece, the billionaire outlined his disagreement with the Treasury Department saying it will double the maximum value of longer-dated securities it can buy back starting Sept. 9. The Trump administration unveiled the plan last week, in response to bond yields surging .

Druckenmiller, the CEO of Duquesne Family Office and an associate of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, said Tuesday that he “of course” used AI to write the story.

“There’s a reason I moved from an English major to being an economics major,” the investor told NOTUS . “I’m not embarrassed by it. … I write everything using AI now for the same reason I use a calculator when I do math problems.”

The Journal has not added a note to Druckenmiller’s piece stating he used AI to write it. The Hill has reached out to Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, for comment.

NewsCorp, the Journal’s parent company, has a content licensing agreement with OpenAI and uses Google’s Vertex AI platform in open-source investigations and certain newsroom tools, per the paper’s website .

The newspaper also notes its employees use AI tools “in a variety of ways,” including in data-driven investigations, to summarize articles, to translate content into local languages and to power certain website features — such as audio versions of stories.

Journal employees also use generative AI to “write alt descriptions of visuals” to improve their accessibility.

“In all instances, we adhere to our long-held values of accuracy, accountability, originality, quality, transparency and respect for intellectual property,” the website adds. “Work that includes AI inputs is reviewed by a journalist before publishing.”