AI-Powered Regulation Rewrite | Essential Student Guide

A college student landed an unexpected role at the heart of government deregulation efforts, using artificial intelligence to simplify complex federal regulations. Derek Tisler, a University of Michigan law student, joined the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to lead an innovative project that uses AI tools to translate dense regulatory language into plain English. This initiative represents a significant shift in how government approaches regulatory reform, with technology playing a central role in making rules more accessible to everyday Americans.

How AI Is Transforming Government Regulations

The Department of Government Efficiency, established by the Biden administration in December 2023, takes a fresh approach to streamlining federal regulations. Rather than simply eliminating rules, DOGE focuses on making them easier to understand and follow. This marks a departure from traditional deregulation efforts that often prioritize cutting rules without considering their purpose or impact.

Tisler, who had previous experience at the Brennan Center for Justice, now leads DOGE’s AI-powered simplification project. His team uses large language models to translate complex regulatory text into straightforward language that business owners, citizens, and even government employees can understand without specialized legal training.

“Regulations are written by lawyers for lawyers,” explains Tisler. “Our goal is to make these rules accessible to everyone who needs to follow them, from small business owners to everyday citizens.”

The Challenge of Regulatory Complexity

Federal regulations serve important purposes—protecting public health, ensuring workplace safety, guarding against financial fraud, and more. However, the language used to write these rules has become increasingly complex over decades. Many regulations require college-level reading skills or higher to understand, creating substantial barriers for compliance.

This complexity carries real costs:

• Small businesses spend valuable time and money on legal consultants
• Citizens struggle to understand their rights and responsibilities
• Government employees waste resources explaining basic requirements
• Compliance rates suffer when rules are difficult to understand

According to Regulations.gov, the federal government publishes thousands of regulatory documents each year, many written at a reading level that exceeds what most Americans can easily comprehend. This disconnect between regulatory language and public understanding undermines the effectiveness of even well-intentioned rules.

DOGE’s Technology-First Approach

The Department of Government Efficiency represents a new direction in regulatory reform. Led by businessman Jeff Zients and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, DOGE aims to bring modern efficiency practices to government operations. Unlike previous deregulation efforts that focused primarily on removing rules, DOGE seeks to improve how regulations function.

The AI simplification project forms just one part of DOGE’s broader mission. The department also works to:

• Streamline permit applications and government forms
• Reduce paperwork burdens on businesses and citizens
• Identify overlapping or contradictory regulations
• Improve digital service delivery across federal agencies

What makes this approach unique is the emphasis on using technology to solve regulatory problems rather than viewing regulations themselves as the problem. This represents a significant shift from past deregulation campaigns that often sought to eliminate rules without considering their purpose.

Real-World Example

Consider a small restaurant owner trying to navigate FDA food safety regulations. The original regulation might state: “Pursuant to section 418 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 350g), food facilities must establish and implement a food safety system that includes an analysis of hazards and implementation of risk-based preventive controls.”

The AI-simplified version might read: “Food businesses must create a safety plan that identifies possible dangers in their food preparation process and takes steps to prevent these problems.”

This transformation maintains the regulatory requirement while making it understandable to someone without legal training. The restaurant owner can now focus on creating an effective safety plan rather than deciphering legal terminology.

The Role of a Student in Government Innovation

Derek Tisler’s journey to DOGE highlights how government agencies are increasingly open to fresh perspectives. As a law student with previous policy experience, Tisler brings a combination of legal knowledge and technological understanding that proves valuable for this innovative project.

“Having a student lead this effort makes sense,” notes Jeff Zients, who leads DOGE. “Students bring fewer preconceptions about ‘how things have always been done’ and more comfort with new technologies.”

Tisler’s role involves:

• Evaluating different AI models for regulatory simplification
• Creating guidelines for agencies to use AI tools effectively
• Testing simplified regulations with actual users
• Ensuring simplified language maintains legal accuracy

The initiative demonstrates how government can benefit from engaging younger professionals who understand both policy needs and technological possibilities. It also suggests a model for other agencies looking to modernize their approaches to public service.

Technical Challenges of AI Regulation Simplification

Using AI to simplify regulations presents several technical hurdles. Regulations often contain precise legal language where small wording changes could alter requirements or create loopholes. The AI systems must maintain legal accuracy while improving readability—a difficult balancing act.

Tisler’s team employs several strategies to address these challenges:

• Using specialized large language models trained on legal documents
• Having legal experts review AI outputs for accuracy
• Creating clear guidelines about which aspects of regulations can be simplified versus which require precise legal language
• Developing metrics to measure both readability and legal accuracy

“We’re not trying to replace the official regulations,” Tisler clarifies. “The original text remains the legally binding version. We’re creating plain-language companions that help people understand what they need to do.”

This approach minimizes legal risks while still providing practical benefits to regulation users. The simplified versions serve as guides rather than replacements for official text.

The Future of AI in Regulatory Reform

DOGE’s AI simplification project potentially signals a broader shift in how government approaches regulatory management. If successful, the techniques developed could spread to other agencies and levels of government, creating lasting changes in how regulations are written and communicated.

Several promising directions are emerging:

Personalized Regulatory Guidance

Future systems might tailor regulatory guidance based on a business’s size, industry, or specific activities. Rather than forcing everyone to wade through all possible requirements, AI could help identify specifically relevant rules.

Continuous Improvement

AI tools could analyze feedback from regulation users to identify persistent points of confusion, helping agencies prioritize which regulations most urgently need revision or clarification.

Multi-language Access

The same AI approaches used for simplification could help translate regulations into multiple languages, making them accessible to non-English speakers without requiring separate translation efforts for each rule.

These possibilities extend beyond merely making existing regulations easier to understand. They point toward a fundamental rethinking of how government communicates requirements to the public.

Public Response and Criticisms

The AI simplification project has received mixed responses from different stakeholders. Supporters see it as a practical way to improve regulatory compliance without weakening important protections. Critics raise several concerns:

• Some worry simplified language might lose legal precision
• Others question whether resources should focus on simplification rather than substantive regulatory reform
• Privacy advocates express concerns about how regulatory data might be used to train AI systems
• Some scholars argue the approach treats symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of regulatory complexity

These criticisms highlight important questions about the role of technology in regulatory reform. As Brookings Institution researchers note, AI tools can improve existing processes but don’t automatically solve deeper structural issues in regulatory systems.

However, proponents counter that improved accessibility represents a meaningful step forward. Making regulations easier to understand creates real benefits for businesses and citizens, even if it doesn’t resolve all regulatory challenges.

Lessons for Students and Young Professionals

Tisler’s experience offers several valuable insights for students interested in government innovation or AI applications in the public sector:

Interdisciplinary Skills Matter

The most valuable contributors often combine knowledge across multiple domains—in this case, law, technology, and public policy. Students should consider how different skill sets might complement each other in addressing complex problems.

Government Offers Innovation Opportunities

While the private sector often receives more attention for technological innovation, government agencies increasingly seek fresh approaches to longstanding challenges. Public service can provide meaningful opportunities to apply cutting-edge tools to important problems.

Start Where You Are

Tisler didn’t begin with extensive AI expertise. He identified an opportunity to apply emerging tools to problems he understood from his legal studies and policy work. Students can similarly look for intersections between their current knowledge and technological possibilities.

For those interested in similar roles, developing a foundation in both policy areas and technological capabilities creates particularly valuable combinations. Understanding both the problems government faces and the tools that might address them opens unique career possibilities.

Practical Applications Beyond Government

The approaches being developed for regulatory simplification have potential applications beyond government contexts. Many organizations struggle with complex internal policies, technical documentation, or customer-facing materials that could benefit from similar simplification efforts.

Businesses might apply these techniques to:

• Simplify employee handbooks and internal procedures
• Create more accessible terms of service and privacy policies
• Develop clearer technical documentation for products
• Improve communication with customers about product requirements or limitations

The core insight—that AI can help bridge the gap between specialized language and general understanding—applies in many contexts where organizations struggle to communicate complex information clearly.

Getting Involved with Regulatory Innovation

Students and professionals interested in regulatory innovation have several potential pathways to engagement:

• Internships with regulatory agencies or policy organizations
• Academic research on regulatory communication and compliance
• Technical roles developing AI tools for government applications
• Participation in public comment periods for proposed regulations
• Engagement with professional associations focused on regulatory improvement

Organizations like the Federal Performance.gov portal provide information about current government efficiency and improvement initiatives, including opportunities for public involvement.

For those specifically interested in AI applications in government, growing communities of practice connect technologists with public sector challenges. These networks offer ways to contribute even without formal government positions.

Conclusion

The story of a college student leading AI-powered regulatory simplification efforts illustrates a broader shift in how government approaches both technology and regulatory reform. By focusing on making rules more accessible rather than simply eliminating them, DOGE’s approach acknowledges that regulations serve important purposes while recognizing that unnecessary complexity undermines their effectiveness.

This initiative demonstrates how technological tools, thoughtfully applied, can address longstanding challenges in public administration. It also shows how government increasingly seeks fresh perspectives from those comfortable with both policy needs and technological possibilities.

As AI technologies continue to evolve, their potential applications for improving regulatory systems will likely expand. The current simplification efforts represent early steps toward reimagining how government communicates requirements to citizens and businesses—making rules clearer without sacrificing their protective functions.

Have thoughts about AI’s role in simplifying regulations or ideas about other government processes that could benefit from similar approaches? We’d love to hear your perspective in the comments below.

References

• Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
• Regulations.gov – The Official Portal for Federal Regulations
• Brookings Institution: Artificial Intelligence and Regulation
• Plain Language.gov – Improving Communication from the Federal Government to the Public
• Performance.gov – Federal Government Performance Portal