Trump names national intelligence chief Jay Clayton as new AI czar

President Trump announced on Sunday that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will serve as the White House's new artificial intelligence czar.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump stated that Clayton will lead the administration's newly formed "Super Intelligence Force." Trump prefers the term "super intelligence" to "artificial intelligence." According to the president's announcement, the group is designed to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence and coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers, and super intelligence companies.

Leadership Structure and Background

Before being confirmed earlier this year to lead national intelligence, Clayton was United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Clayton described artificial intelligence as a “gamechanger”, but it also posed “a threat”.

"When something’s both an opportunity and a threat, you better get your arms around it,"

Jay Clayton, Director of National Intelligence, via Senate confirmation hearing

He previously called super intelligence a "national security issue" during an interview with CNBC last month.

Trump's social media announcement also outlined additional members of the newly formed "Super Intelligence Force." He said it will include: Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael.

Name	Role	Super Intelligence Force Status
Jay Clayton	Director of National Intelligence	Lead AI Czar / SIF Head
Andrew Ferguson	Federal Trade Commission Chairman	Member
Scott Kupor	Office of Personnel Management Director	Member
Emil Michael	Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering	Member

Industry Debates and Regulatory Context

Trump's announcement follows various statements of alarm from tech leaders over risks in the rapid development of AI, including that it could go rogue. Trump has largely brushed aside the warnings and attempted to reframe concerns around AI.

Clayton pushed back against calls for a "pause" in developing the technology, pointing out that other countries around the world are continuing to develop AI. I don't think any American should think that that's a good strategy, he said.

It is unclear what Clayton's appointment as AI czar means for the AI industry, as current artificial intelligence regulation by the U.S. Government is limited. Congress has not passed federal law broadly regulating the use or development of AI. Some states, including California, have enacted measures about AI, including requiring entities to be transparent when it is used.

Prior Administration Actions and Voluntary Accords

In December 2024, president-elect Trump announced he would appoint David Sacks, a Silicon Valley investor, as an AI and crypto czar, with a brief to advise the administration on policies surrounding AI.

Earlier this year, Sacks stepped down from his role and became co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He has backed AI leaders Sam Altman and Dario Amodei's warnings about the technology, and the idea of a "slow down" in AI development.

On Tuesday, Trump met with AI executives at the White House, and said afterwards that leaders of several artificial intelligence companies had signed a voluntary accord that will include internal and external reviews of their work. Meanwhile, the White House also launched a revamped government website this week, America.gov, which says it is sourced via artificial intelligence from "official government sources."

Reactions and Next Steps

Among those reacting on Sunday to Trump’s invoking the term “super intelligence” was SpaceX chief Elon Musk. Musk said on his social media platform X that SI was “better” than AI – and that he was renaming his aerospace company’s AI unit from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI.

As Clayton assumes his new duties as AI czar, questions remain regarding how the "Super Intelligence Force" will coordinate federal policy alongside existing regulatory bodies and whether additional federal standards will emerge to govern the rapidly evolving sector.