WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House’s new artificial intelligence czar, putting him in charge of what Trump called a “Super Intelligence Force,” NPR reported.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the group will “ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence,” a term he prefers to “artificial intelligence.” He said it will coordinate the federal government’s work with consumers, public interest and religious groups, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies.
Trump said the group will also include Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor and Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s under secretary for research and engineering.
Who is Clayton?
Clayton was confirmed earlier this year as director of national intelligence. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In a CNBC interview last month, he called super intelligence “a national security issue” and argued against calls to pause AI development while other countries keep building it.
The appointment comes after a week of AI moves by the White House. On Tuesday, Trump met with AI executives and said afterward that several companies had signed a voluntary accord that includes internal and external reviews of their work, NPR reported. The administration also relaunched America.gov, a government site it says draws on AI-generated summaries of official sources.
It is not yet clear what the new role will mean for the industry. Congress has not passed a broad federal law governing how AI is built or used, leaving states such as California to set their own transparency rules. Trump’s earlier AI and crypto adviser, investor David Sacks, stepped back from that role this year to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Photo: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, official portrait (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).