White House web redesign effort faces AI, privacy and access concerns
The National Design Studio has launched few sites while critics question its use of AI, tracking tools and accessibility practices.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
4 min read
The White House effort to remake federal websites has produced only a limited set of public launches while drawing scrutiny over AI-generated designs, privacy practices and accessibility, according to Ars Technica. The project matters because the National Design Studio was created to help overhaul 27,000 .gov websites within three years.
President Donald Trump established the National Design Studio by executive order last August as part of an “America by Design” initiative, Ars Technica reported. The order called for new standards for the U.S. Web Design System and a broader redesign of government sites, with Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia serving as Trump’s chief design officer.
The effort began after major cuts to federal technology teams, according to Ars Technica. The 18F technology unit was dismantled, the U.S. Digital Service was reworked into DOGE, and the U.S. Web Design System team was reduced to one full-time employee after Trump took office, Ars Technica reported.
Few launches and uneven designs
Ars Technica said its review found that many National Design Studio launches are single-page sites that mainly ask users to submit information or send them to older government sites. The most functional site identified in the review was TrumpRX.gov, which includes a tool for comparing drug prices.
Several new government domains, including live.gov, onlyfarms.gov, aliens.gov and why.gov, currently redirect to older sites, according to Ars Technica. The outlet also reported that 250.gov, a site tied to the 250th anniversary of U.S. history, redirects to a .org address, a choice it described as unusual for a government website.
NextGov reported that the design studio’s own site briefly displayed a store promoting a $47 MAHA poster and a $400 collector’s edition carrying Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s autograph. A White House spokesperson told NextGov the posters were not “actually for sale” because the listings lacked a purchase button.
The studio’s use of AI has also drawn criticism. NextGov reported that TrumpRX.gov used an AI-generated image showing a child with six toes running toward a U.S. flag without stars, and Ars Technica reported that a redesign for CIO.gov was pulled after critics called it inaccessible and questioned its exposed design materials.
Tracking and accessibility questions
The Guardian reported that four National Design Studio-built sites — ndstudio.gov, trumprx.gov, realfood.gov and trumpaccounts.gov — used commercial visitor-tracking software configured to avoid common privacy tools. The Guardian also reported that those sites lacked public filings required under federal privacy laws including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002.
The trackers were removed after the Guardian contacted the White House, according to the newspaper. White House spokesperson Liz Huston told the Guardian that National Design Studio personnel comply with legal requirements, but the Guardian said she did not answer questions about what happened to data collected while the tools were active.
Former federal workers and design experts have also raised accessibility concerns, according to Ars Technica. The Architect’s Newspaper cited former federal designer Ethan Marcotte’s criticism that one National Design Studio site failed basic ADA web compliance and loaded close to three megabytes of code for a simple page.
Agencies appear reluctant
Ars Technica reported that agencies have been hesitant to work with the design studio as scrutiny has increased. A public GitHub update for the U.S. Web Design System said agencies had not responded to outreach tied to Trump’s July 4, 2026, deadline for initial discussions on updated standards.
The same GitHub update said the requirement to update the U.S. Web Design System was no longer mandatory, according to Ars Technica. The White House declined to comment on that reported change and instead praised the National Design Studio for work on Trump Rx, Eat Real Food and Trump Accounts, saying Trump would keep prioritizing innovation and efficiency.
Ars Technica reported that federal CIO Gregory Barbaccia said the studio is testing AI for “complete website redesigns” based on its guidelines. Former government workers told NextGov that AI-assisted launches could work in theory with close oversight, but warned that weak review could create errors and security risks.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.