While a new AI-powered website launched by President Donald Trump has already been plagued by spelling errors, unproven claims and confusing responses to user requests, it can still be helpful to many who find it difficult to navigate government information and services, according to an expert.
Trump introduced and touted the new website, America.gov, at a Sept. 29 launch event, calling it the “ultimate product.”
“With America.gov, the federal government no longer stands in your way, and it stands only at your service. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re simplifying it. We’re glamorizing it. We’re making it what it should be,” Trump said.
Jessica Ji, a senior research analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), told
USA TODAY that the new website gives people a "familiar interface" to navigate usually complex government websites.
"I can see it being quite useful as a landing page for people trying to navigate specific systems and not knowing where to start," Ji said.
While overall well-intentioned, Ji refuted one claim Trump made: that the new website "in theory" could not be hacked.
“It’s built from the ground up with your privacy and security totally in mind,” Trump said at the launch event. “To ensure that your personal information is not collected or stored, and your conversation disappears when you leave, and everything stays totally private.”
According to Ji, AI chatbots like the ones used by the new website have had weaknesses.
"It's basically impossible to tell what those weaknesses are before they are discovered," she said.
Ji's comments come as Reddit users show how the America.gov chatbot spews out random messages when given a simple request, such as "Play Minecraft." USA TODAY submitted the same request and received a similar response.
What is America.gov meant to be?
A one-stop shop for government services, the website is meant to help with everything from changing one's government name or home address to checking on a student loan or Medicare eligibility. By early 2027, Trump said the new product would be able to perform actions on users' behalf, including filling out applications and renewals and applying for passports.
Again, while this sounds good, Ji sees it as a potential issue.
"When this kind of AI system is empowered to handle private data and actually take action on users' behalf, I think you are increasing the attack surface quite a bit," Ji said.
Beyond launching the website, Trump also signed an executive order directing federal agencies to integrate their services with the new website.
America.gov to be a 'concierge to navigate the government'
In an interview with Fox News, Joe Gebbia, the chief design officer of the United States and architect of America.gov, said the new website would be a “concierge to navigate the government.”
“Don’t think of it as a website; it’s more of a conversation that you start with the government to try to get access to the answers you need,” he said.
The website was trained on 29,000 U.S. government websites and 800 million pages, according to Gebbia. The website was co-created and is run by the General Services Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Design Studio, a White House initiative established by Trump in 2025.
"The site is like a good hotel concierge, guiding you to the best answers for your questions into the next steps, such as a checklist with links to finish your name change at the state level," Gebbia said in a demo launching the website.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Greta Reich covers the artificial intelligence industry for USA TODAY through a fellowship from the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism. Funders do not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's wrong with Trump's new AI-powered America.gov? Expert weighs in
