Meet Christopher Sweet: The Undergrad Rewriting Housing Policy

In a twist more fitting for Silicon Valley than Washington, a third-year college student is helping lead one of the most ambitious AI-powered regulatory reforms in U.S. history. And it’s happening at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Christopher Sweet, a 21-year-old University of Chicago student currently on leave, has joined HUD as a “special assistant.” But internally, the title “AI computer programming quant analyst” is making the rounds—an informal nod to the radical role he’s assumed within the agency.

Despite having no prior government experience, Sweet now plays a central role in reimagining how housing regulations are written, enforced, and even deleted. His digital footprint is minimal: a mostly inactive GitHub page (linked to him by WIRED), a Substack account that follows finance and tech figures like Marc Andreessen, and a history of internships in private equity.

He co-founded a student investment fund in 2023 and was expected to spend this summer at Nexus Point Capital, a China-focused buyout firm. Instead, he’s in D.C.—rewriting federal housing policy.

The AI System Overhauling HUD Regulations

At the core of Sweet’s work is a powerful AI-driven system designed to review, analyze, and revise thousands of federal housing rules. According to HUD insiders, the system has already scanned hundreds of regulations and flagged those where the department may have "overreached its authority."

Here’s how the process reportedly works:

• AI scans HUD regulations for legal or procedural inconsistencies.
  
  

• Flags problematic rules and proposes revised language to align with the agency’s core legal mandates.
  
  

• Scores each regulation for compliance and tracks word count reductions.
  
  

• Outputs results in a massive Excel spreadsheet with ~1,000 entries.
  
  

• Human reviewers must manually approve or challenge the AI's edits. Any disagreement must be justified with reasoning.
  
  

• Legal teams then review and finalize the proposed changes.
  
  

In other words, AI writes the new rules—and humans must catch up.

Inside the Spreadsheet That Could Redefine Housing Policy

The heart of this initiative is what some HUD insiders call the “rulebook spreadsheet.” Each row represents:

• A flagged regulation
  
  

• AI-generated replacement text
  
  

• A compliance score
  
  

• Notes on whether the language simplifies or shrinks existing regulations
  
  

The scale of this project is staggering. And unlike traditional regulatory review processes, the burden of proof now shifts: staff must defend the status quo if they choose to reject the AI’s suggestion.

Not Everyone’s on Board

This bold shift in federal rulemaking is attracting skepticism—especially from within HUD itself.

Critics argue the project is redundant, given that HUD rules are already governed by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). This act ensures public comment periods and judicial oversight for any regulatory changes.

Others worry about:

• Lack of transparency in how the AI was trained
  
  

• Potential political bias
  
  

• Reduced human oversight in an essential public service domain
  
  

One HUD employee described the initiative as “speedrunning democracy.”

A Glimpse Into Project 2025’s Vision

The larger context? This effort appears to be aligned with Project 2025, a sweeping policy blueprint developed by conservative think tanks to overhaul federal agencies. Its goal: dismantle what it sees as overregulation in areas such as:

• Environmental protection
  
  

• Food and drug safety
  
  

• Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)
  
  

• Public housing
  
  

The embedding of DOGE (Elon Musk’s informal policy team) personnel in HUD signals this vision is quickly moving from plan to practice.

Why Compliance and Marketing Professionals Should Pay Attention

While the Christopher Sweet story is headline-grabbing, the underlying trend is what compliance officers and marketers must watch.

Here’s why this matters:

1. AI Is Now Writing the Rules

We’re not talking about legal research tools or compliance checklists. This is full-scale AI-authored regulation—drafting legal language that could shape entire industries.

2. Experience Doesn’t Equal Access

Young, unelected specialists are being placed in roles traditionally held by seasoned regulators. The implications for institutional memory and regulatory consistency are enormous.

3. The “Efficiency” Trade-Off

Speeding up policy changes via AI might streamline bureaucracy—but it also risks bypassing safeguards like public feedback, judicial review, and bipartisan consensus.

What Comes Next?

With AI now embedded in rulemaking processes and external policy agendas like Project 2025 gaining traction, expect a rapid reshaping of regulatory frameworks—not just in housing, but across federal agencies.

For compliance leaders:

• Monitor regulatory changes more frequently than ever.
  
  
  

• Prepare for AI-driven audits and updated documentation standards.
  
  
  

• Build internal capacity to adapt quickly to new rule structures.
  
  
  

For marketers in regulated sectors:

• Review advertising and communication strategies to ensure compliance with evolving language.
  
  
  

• Stay updated on how regulatory definitions (e.g., "affordable housing," "eligibility") might change.
  
  
  

• Expect a shorter runway for rollout—regulations might change overnight.
  
  
  

Final Thoughts: A New Era of AI Rulemaking

The appointment of a college student to lead AI-powered reform at HUD isn’t just a quirky Washington tale. It’s a signal that the age of AI-led governance has begun.

Whether this is a flash in the pan or a new status quo, one thing is clear: Regulated industries must prepare for instability, innovation, and a faster, tech-driven regulatory environment.

Because the rulebooks of tomorrow? They’re already being rewritten—by code.