Paul Gigot said The Wall Street Journal will not police AI use by outside opinion contributors after Stanley Druckenmiller acknowledged using AI for an op-ed criticizing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Pangram flagged Druckenmiller’s piece as 100% AI-generated, and Gigot argued that using AI to streamline an essay is not meaningfully different from using speechwriters or hired writing shops.
Gigot drew a line for the Journal’s own opinion staff—who must still draft their own columns and editorials—but rejected disclosure demands for contributors, asking readers, “Disclose what?”
The stance marks a sharp shift from April, when editorial-features editor James Taranto attacked AI-detection accusations and stressed writers’ ethical duty to ensure original work.
The dispute widens a newsroom debate over whether undisclosed AI-assisted bylines erode reader trust, even as some publishers and prominent backers push toward broader acceptance.