Trump Names Jay Clayton to Lead New Super Intelligence Force on AI

By
Harris
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Key Points

  • President Trump announced the Super Intelligence Force (SIF) in a Truth Social post on Sunday, Oct. 4, with Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton first among its four leaders.
  • FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael and OPM Director Scott Kupor complete the leadership; the group reports to Trump and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
  • The force will coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies.
  • The Wall Street Journal reported the task force has 120 days to study AI risks and opportunities and recommend the government’s role, according to CNBC.

President Donald Trump has put his intelligence chief in charge of the federal government’s approach to artificial intelligence. On Sunday he announced a new task force, the Super Intelligence Force, and named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the first of its four leaders, a role several major outlets describe as the administration’s new AI czar.

What happened

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post published at about 8:23 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 4. He wrote that the force “is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence,” the label his administration now uses for AI.

Alongside Clayton, the post names Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson; Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s under secretary for research and engineering and chief technology officer; and Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management. The group will report to the president and to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

According to the post, the force will run the government’s dealings with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and the companies building the technology. CBS News, CNN, ABC News and the Associated Press all reported the announcement Sunday morning.

The move caps a fast-moving week. On Sept. 29, Trump signed an executive order titled “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence”, which directs agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “artificial intelligence” and “AI” where the law allows. The same day, leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia and SpaceXAI met Trump at the White House, where their companies signed a set of voluntary safety commitments on AI. Trump told reporters afterward that he planned to name an AI czar within days.

Latest development

Clayton has begun to outline how the group will work. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Saturday and quoted by ABC News, he said, “The risk of not being first is high,” arguing that leading the field puts the United States in a better position to manage threats from adversaries.

He also told the Journal, “I expect there will be mechanisms developed in dialogue, just like there are in other industries,” pointing to risk models built in finance with the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Journal reported that the task force will have 120 days to research AI’s risks and opportunities and recommend what responsibilities the federal government should take on, CNBC reported.

The Truth Social post did not set out specific powers, a budget or a start date. ABC News said a request to the White House for more detail on the force’s objectives had not received an immediate response.

Why it matters

Placing AI policy with the director of national intelligence signals that the White House views advanced AI first as a national security question. Clayton, who oversees 18 intelligence agencies after Senate confirmation in July, told CNBC on Sept. 30 that “super intelligence is a national security issue.” He previously led the SEC and served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The other three leaders widen the group’s reach. The FTC polices consumer protection and competition, the Pentagon’s research office shapes military technology, and OPM manages the federal civilian workforce.

The choice also reflects the administration’s preference for industry self-policing over binding rules. Trump called last week’s company pledges “morally binding,” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., described self-regulation as “a recipe for disaster.” With midterm races heating up and local resistance to new data centers growing, the force gives Americans a single place in Washington to watch for the next decisions on AI safety, competition and jobs.

What happens next

The clearest marker is the 120-day study window reported by the Journal, which would produce the first formal recommendations from the group. Clayton said the task force would look at current law and discuss possible actions for Congress, according to ABC News.

A second deadline comes from the Sept. 29 executive order: within 60 days, the president’s science and technology adviser must send proposed legislative language for a federal definition of “Super Intelligence,” which puts that proposal due by late November. Any change to the statutory definition of AI would still need an act of Congress.

Watch for the White House to publish a formal charter or membership list, for the first meetings with industry and outside groups, and for reaction on Capitol Hill, where calls for clearer AI guardrails have grown louder this year.

Related live coverage

Follow every new step from the White House, Congress and the courts on our U.S. Politics Live center. For national news coverage as the story develops, you can watch CBS News on our CBS News live stream page.

Sources