Trump announces ‘Super Intelligence Force’ to coordinate US AI policy, names Jay Clayton as AI czar
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US President Donald Trump has announced the formation of a new “Super Intelligence Force” (SIF) to coordinate the federal government’s approach to artificial intelligence, with Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton set to lead the initiative.
The announcement, made by Trump in a Truth Social post on Sunday, comes days after the White House hosted executives from some of the world’s biggest AI companies and secured a voluntary accord on safeguards for advanced AI systems. The new force will assess the risks and opportunities posed by rapidly developing AI and examine the role of the federal government in overseeing the technology. The task force is expected to submit its report within 120 days, according to Reuters, citing a Wall Street Journal report.
Trump said the SIF would coordinate the federal government’s engagement with AI companies as well as consumers, public interest groups, religious organisations and providers of critical infrastructure. “Following the Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence, where the World’s most important Technology Companies came together, and confirmed their responsibilities to the American People, I am announcing the formation of the Super Intelligence Force (SIF),” Trump wrote.
He said the force would coordinate the federal government’s efforts “to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence”, adding that the technology is “bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet”.
Trump said the SIF would “protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans” as the US competes to maintain its position at the forefront of advanced AI.
The administration has increasingly adopted the term “super intelligence” in place of artificial intelligence as it seeks to frame the technology as a strategic priority for the US. Trump has also stressed the need to maintain American leadership in AI while avoiding regulations that could hamper technological development and competition.
Jay Clayton to lead new AI task force
Clayton, who currently heads the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will effectively serve as Trump’s AI czar and lead the new task force. The task force will also look at existing government capabilities for responding to AI-related security incidents, including breaches, hacks and model jailbreaks, and recommend improvements to the federal response, according to reporting on its mandate.
The force will also include Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon Under Secretary for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. Trump said the group would report directly to him and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Move follows voluntary AI accord with tech giants
The SIF follows the White House Accord on Super Intelligence signed last week by the heads of six major technology companies, such as Google, Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, xAI and Nvidia. The agreement is voluntary and commits the companies to measures including safety controls, monitoring and external assessments of their most advanced AI systems.
Trump had described the agreement as a form of industry self-regulation. The accord came after a White House meeting with technology executives, as concerns grow over the potential security, economic and societal consequences of increasingly capable AI systems.