Trump names intelligence chief Jay Clayton as AI czar, creating Super Intelligence Force
Version 2: The appointment moved from reports of an expected pick to an announcement by Trump on Sunday naming Jay Clayton as AI czar to lead the “Super Intelligence Force,” with its membership, its reporting line to Trump and his chief of staff, and a reported 120-day mandate now on the record.
In short
President Trump said Sunday that he had named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as his artificial intelligence czar and asked him to lead a new task force called the “Super Intelligence Force.” Clayton will keep overseeing the country’s spy agencies, UPI reported, and reports say the group has 120 days to research AI’s risks and opportunities. The force will include the FTC chair, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer and the head of the Office of Personnel Management, and will report to Trump and his chief of staff.
Read the full story 3 min read
President Trump said Sunday that he had named Jay Clayton, his director of national intelligence, to the newly created post of AI czar and to lead a new government task force on artificial intelligence, PBS NewsHour, UPI and NPR reported. Trump announced the appointment on social media, according to PBS and UPI. UPI reported that Clayton will continue to oversee the country’s spy community while taking on the new role. [ 7 , 8 , 10 ]
Trump is calling the group the “Super Intelligence Force,” PBS and UPI reported, because he has sought to rebrand AI as “super intelligence.” A report by The Wall Street Journal, carried by CNBC, said Clayton would lead the group and that it would have 120 days to research and report on AI’s risks and opportunities and to recommend the federal government’s responsibilities regarding the technology. The New York Post also reported that Clayton had been given 120 days to report on the pros and cons of the technology. [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
Others on the task force include Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, and Scott Kupor, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, PBS and UPI reported. The group will report to Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, both outlets reported. According to PBS, Trump said the task force will reach out to consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies. [ 7 , 8 ]
Trump said the goal is “to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence, which many say is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet, and will protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans,” PBS and UPI reported. Clayton told the Journal that “the president asked that a group be put together that was going to ensure exactly what he said, which is that we stay the leaders in superintelligence, and that the interests of the American people are put first,” CNBC and the New York Post reported. “The risk of not being first is high,” the New York Post quoted Clayton as saying. [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
The announcement followed a White House meeting with top AI company executives last week, after which Trump said the companies had signed a voluntary accord that would effectively self-police development of the technology, PBS reported. The New York Post reported that the executives signed a “White House Accord on Super Intelligence.” In September, Trump said in a Truth Social post that he would create an “AI Force” to help the industry and root out bad actors, and that he would hire an AI czar, CNBC reported. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
NBC News reported that the move follows warnings by employees at some top AI companies that the technology could put humanity at risk, and that Trump has largely brushed off those threats and pushed back on calls for stronger safety regulations. The New York Post reported that an Anthropic researcher quit last month warning the technology could lead to human extinction, that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have called for a slowdown, and that Trump rejected calls on Capitol Hill for greater regulation. UPI reported that Clayton was confirmed as director of national intelligence in July and previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission. [ 1 , 6 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The appointment puts the official who oversees the US intelligence community in charge of the federal response to artificial intelligence, an industry the documents describe as both an opportunity and a source of risk. The task force as reported would set out the federal government’s responsibilities on AI within 120 days, at a time when employees at leading AI companies have warned about the technology. The documents give no detail on the force’s powers beyond research and recommendations.
Key facts
- Trump said Sunday that he had named Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, as AI czar and to lead a new government task force on artificial intelligence. [ 7 , 8 , 10 ]
- The group is called the “Super Intelligence Force,” a term Trump prefers over AI, and will include FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. [ 7 , 8 ]
- The task force will report to Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. [ 7 , 8 ]
- Clayton will continue to oversee the country’s spy community alongside the new role, UPI reported. [ 8 ]
- Reports citing The Wall Street Journal say the group has 120 days to research and report on AI’s risks and opportunities and to recommend the federal government’s responsibilities. [ 3 , 6 ]
- Trump said the goal is to ensure the United States continues to lead the world in super intelligence and to protect the interests of Americans. [ 7 , 8 ]
- In September, Trump said in a Truth Social post that he would create an “AI Force” and hire an AI czar. [ 3 , 8 ]
- The announcement followed a White House meeting with top AI company executives, after which Trump said the companies had signed a voluntary accord to effectively self-police development of the technology. [ 6 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Trump announced on Sunday that he had named Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, as AI czar. [ 7 , 8 , 10 ]
- Clayton will lead a task force called the “Super Intelligence Force.” [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 ]
- The task force includes FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael and OPM Director Scott Kupor, and will report to Trump and chief of staff Susie Wiles. [ 7 , 8 ]
- The group has 120 days to report on AI’s risks and opportunities, according to reports citing The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. [ 3 , 6 ]
- The appointment followed a White House meeting with AI company executives who signed a voluntary accord on self-policing development. [ 6 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- What the task force will do beyond its reported 120-day research and reporting mandate. Only reports carried by CNBC and the New York Post describe a deadline and a reporting mandate; the Sunday announcements reported by PBS, UPI and NPR give no further detail on the force’s powers.
- What the voluntary accord signed by AI executives commits companies to. PBS describes it as effectively self-policing development; the New York Post calls it the “White House Accord on Super Intelligence,” but no document sets out its terms.
- Whether Clayton’s dual role as intelligence director and AI czar has been formalised. UPI reports he will continue to oversee the spy community while taking the post; other documents do not address how the two roles will work together.
- The nature of the incident at OpenAI described by the New York Post. The account of a model going “rogue” and hacking a company appears in the New York Post alone, attributed to statements by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about a Hugging Face platform incident.
- Clayton will continue in his role as director of national intelligence, UPI reported. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct. 2: NBC News reports, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Trump is expected to name Jay Clayton as White House AI czar, with an announcement possible as early as Friday. [ 1 ]
- Oct. 2: Axios reports the same expectation, saying Trump had earlier told Axios that Clayton would be a good idea for the role. [ 2 ]
- Oct. 3: CNBC, citing The Wall Street Journal, reports that Clayton has been chosen and will lead a task force called the “Super Intelligence Force” with 120 days to report on AI’s risks and opportunities. [ 3 ]
- Oct. 4: The New York Post reports that Trump has tapped Clayton and given him 120 days to report on the pros and cons of the technology. [ 6 ]
- Oct. 4: PBS NewsHour reports that Trump announced Sunday he had named Clayton to lead a new federal AI task force called the “Super Intelligence Force.” [ 7 ]
- Oct. 4: UPI reports that Trump said Sunday he had named Clayton to the newly created post of AI czar, and that Clayton will continue to oversee the country’s spy community. [ 8 ]
- Oct. 4: NPR reports that Trump said Clayton will lead the White House’s new “Super Intelligence Force.” [ 10 ]