“Wildly irresponsible”: DOT's use of AI to draft safety rules sparks concerns

January 27, 2026

TL;DR

The US Department of Transportation is using AI (Google Gemini) to draft safety regulations for transportation systems.
The goal is to expedite the rulemaking process, reducing drafting time from weeks/months to under 30 days.
DOT's top lawyer, Gregory Zerzan, stated the aim is 'good enough' rules, not perfect ones.
DOT staffers have expressed deep skepticism about Gemini's ability to handle intricate regulatory work.
Concerns include AI's known issues with accuracy and hallucinating fabricated information, which could lead to lawsuits or fatalities.
Experts suggest AI could be a research assistant with significant supervision, but not a primary drafting tool.
The DOT has already used Gemini to draft an unpublished Federal Aviation Administration rule.
Former President Trump is reportedly excited about the DOT initiative and sees it as a model for other agencies.
Google is competing for government AI contracts and has offered competitive pricing for Gemini.
Google previously celebrated DOT as the first cabinet-level agency to transition its workforce to Google Workspace with Gemini.

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