- The Department of Transportation is planning to use Google Gemini to draft new safety rules.
- Speed and quantity are priorities with the new technology.
- Some at the agency believe the move could lead to errors and potentially dangerous new rules.
“Close enough for government work” strikes again, this time in a real-world situation. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is reportedly leaning into artificial intelligence (AI) to draft new safety rules, but its lead attorney doesn’t appear concerned about some of AI’s now-widely known shortcomings.
ProPublica reported the story earlier this week, noting that DOT plans to use AI, believing it has the “potential to revolutionize the way we draft rulemakings.”
Related: Government Relaxes Rules on Self-Driving Crashes
DOT officials said the agency would use Google’s Gemini AI tool to expedite the rule-writing process, making it the first department “that is fully enabled to use AI to draft rules,” according to DOT attorney Gregory Zerzan.
At the same time, even the best AI tools sometimes deliver incorrect information, but that’s not a top concern for Zerzan. “We don’t need the perfect rule on XYZ,” he said in meeting notes obtained by ProPublica. “We don’t even need a very good rule on XYZ. We want good enough. We’re flooding the zone.”
Staff Sound Alarm Bells
It’s unclear if the move would impact staffing levels at DOT. But critics fear that mistakes could lead to injuries, deaths, and lawsuits. Many of the current staff have decades of experience with the rulebook, leading one to call the decision “wildly irresponsible.”
Some at DOT are uncomfortable with the move, noting that prioritizing speed over quality could create significant problems. Creating DOT’s rules, revising them, and publishing can take months or longer. AI isn’t the best at achieving 100% accuracy, so it requires human eyes for fact-checking and quality control.
Leaders plan to push ahead despite those concerns. DOT used AI to draft a Federal Aviation Administration rule, which is still unpublished but in motion toward publication. Agency leadership and higher-ups, including President Trump, have expressed excitement over AI’s potential to revolutionize the work. DOT executives noted that Gemini would eventually handle 80% to 90% of the work, with humans taking the rest.
