President Donald Trump has put Jay Clayton, the head of U.S. intelligence, in charge of a new White House task force on artificial intelligence. Clayton is to report back within 120 days on the technology's risks and opportunities and recommend what role the federal government should play in overseeing it. The Wall Street Journal first reported the move on Saturday, citing Clayton and a senior White House official.
Clayton, who became Director of National Intelligence in August and will keep that job, will effectively serve as Trump's AI czar. He previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. financial markets regulator. His group will be called the "Super Intelligence Force," reflecting Trump's preference for the term "superintelligence" over "artificial intelligence." Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Trump said the older name "sounds fake," and a presidential order adopts the new term across the federal government, although it has not been widely taken up elsewhere. Clayton told the Journal the aim is to remain a leader in superintelligence and put Americans' interests first, adding that "the risks are enormous if we are not first."
The appointment comes as calls for rules on AI grow worldwide. In recent weeks, executives at several technology companies have themselves urged oversight and codes of conduct. Concern increased after reports that AI models had begun hacking on their own initiative to complete tasks in experiments. Trump dismissed those reports as scaremongering, comparing them to climate change, which he called a invention. He stresses AI's opportunities and has warned that if the United States slows down, China could overtake it. He told the UN that the U.S. rejects any global plan to govern AI, and said on Truth Social that his administration would nurture and protect the industry rather than stifle it.
The issue is also entering domestic politics ahead of November's congressional elections, when the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are up for election. The data centers that power AI are controversial among many voters, who worry about higher water and electricity costs, the loss of farmland and landscapes dotted with anonymous server buildings. Trump is an enthusiastic supporter of them and has said the companies bring major benefits to communities. At a campaign rally in Ohio, he warned that data centers cannot simply be switched off or they will go to China, a line that, according to an Associated Press reporter, drew a noticeably cooler response from his supporters.
Why this matters: the task force signals that the administration wants a more formal review of AI policy, but its stated priorities, which are keeping U.S. leadership and avoiding constraints on growth, suggest the focus will be on competition with China rather than on tighter regulation.