Want an AI job at Treasury? Write a 10-page analysis of ‘Great Gatsby’

A job posting for an information technology specialist focused on artificial intelligence at the Treasury Department is asking applicants to write a 10-page analysis, with citations, of metaphors in the “The Great Gatsby.” 

In addition to the essay on the 1925 classic written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the notice, which appears to have been posted to usajobs.gov on Monday, requires interested individuals to:

• “convert the [Gatsby] analysis into a concise 200-word executive summary.
• translate both the full essay and summary into Spanish and Mandarin.
• create a table comparing the metaphor themes across three other novels of your choice, with one paragraph of synthesis.
• rewrite the original essay in the style of a scientific paper with an abstract.”

Applicants selected for the direct-hire position “will be responsible for formulating technical strategies, standards and architectures that advance the secure and ethical deployment of AI across Treasury and, by extension, the federal government,” according to the posting. The listed salary is about $89,000 to $195,000 at general schedule classification grades 12 to 15. (15 is the highest GS grade.) 

Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a data science and computer science professor at Brown University who worked on AI policy in the Biden administration, questioned if the job posting is a joke or hoax. 

“The requested information appears to be trying to test the applicant's ability to do prompt engineering,” he said by email. “This is a skill that is extremely unlikely to be useful for the job being advertised for, and in particular for any of the duties as indicated.”

Treasury did not respond to a request for comment. 

Interested individuals have a limited time to apply; the window closes on Friday. 

The job appointment will last two to four years, according to the posting. Hires will be required to move to Washington, D.C., within one year of their start date, and relocation expenses will not be covered. 

Also, the position is eligible for telework, which is notable because the Trump administration is limiting work from home, even for employees with disabilities who were granted the flexibility as a reasonable accommodation. 

The Trump administration on Monday launched the U.S. Tech Force to recruit technologists for two-year placements at agencies. 

Under Trump, the IRS, a Treasury agency, has shed at least 2,000 tech employees as part of the administration’s efforts to push hundreds of thousands of civil servants out of the government workforce. 

The president hosted a “Great Gatsby”-themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago club during the government shutdown. 

Natalie Alms contributed to this report.