Congresswoman denies staff used AI on defense amendment

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has pushed back against claims that her office relied on artificial intelligence to craft legislation, insisting that any AI use was limited to basic spellcheck functions. The controversy erupted after screenshots surfaced on X showing an amendment summary for the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that appeared to contain AI-generated text.

The screenshots, widely shared on social media, reveal a fragment of the summary that reads: “Identical to H. R. 100 (118th Congress).11:25 AM???? Claude responded: Requires the Secretary of Defense to designate Department of Defense activities, support, and operations at the southwest land border as a named operation with…” The inclusion of the phrase “Claude responded,” a reference to Anthropic’s AI assistant, raised immediate questions about the amendment’s origin.

In her defense, Luna acknowledged that staff may have used AI for “spellcheck” when preparing the summary, but she firmly denied that the technology played any role in writing the underlying bill text. “NO Legislation is ever drafted with AI,” she stated emphatically, seeking to quell concerns about the integrity of the legislative process.

The incident highlights the growing scrutiny around how lawmakers and their teams employ generative AI tools in official government work. While AI can streamline administrative tasks like proofreading, critics argue that its use in policy drafting could undermine transparency and accountability. Luna’s response attempts to draw a clear line between harmless editing and substantive authorship, but the public remains watchful as Congress navigates this new technological frontier.