Trump names his intelligence chief to lead a White House AI task force

President Donald Trump named Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, as the administration’s new AI czar. In a Truth Social post, Trump said Clayton would chair a White House “Super Intelligence Force” to “ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence”. The task force is to “coordinate the Federal Government’s engagement with Consumers, Public Interest Groups, Religious Organizations, Critical Infrastructure Providers, and Super Intelligence Companies”, NPR reported. The Wall Street Journal had reported the appointment the day before.

Its other members are the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Andrew Ferguson; the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Emil Michael; and the director of the Office of Personnel Management, Scott Kupor. It will report to Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and has 120 days to assess the risks and opportunities of AI and recommend what the federal government’s responsibilities should be, CNBC reported. Clayton is a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and was US attorney for the Southern District of New York before the Senate confirmed him in July as director of national intelligence, which oversees 18 intelligence agencies.

Trump had promised the appointment twice. In September he posted that he would create an “AI Force” and hire a czar, in the same posts in which he called fears about AI a hoax. After the White House lunch at which AI chief executives signed a voluntary safety accord five days earlier, he said he would name one within days. David Sacks, the venture capitalist who previously held the role, had said in March that his time as a special government employee was over. The choice of an intelligence chief, and a task force that includes the FTC chair, came as federal pressure on the labs grew. Ferguson’s agency had confirmed that week that it was investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and others over the risks their technology poses to consumers. Trump has opposed new regulation of the industry and favoured voluntary safety reviews.