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UPDATED 18:26 EDT / OCTOBER 04 2026

POLICY

Trump launches Super Intelligence Force with Jay Clayton as AI czar

President Donald Trump today put Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton in charge of a new federal artificial intelligence task force, making him the administration’s second AI czar.

Trump revealed the group in a Truth Social post, calling it the Super Intelligence Force. That name tracks an executive order he signed last week directing federal agencies to use “super intelligence” in place of “artificial intelligence” in official correspondence.

According to the post, the force exists to “ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence.” Clayton (pictured, left) told The Wall Street Journal that a report on the technology’s risks and opportunities is due within 120 days.

The report will also cover how the government handles disclosure of security breaches, with recommendations to follow on how agencies can respond better under powers they already hold. Under its charter, the group must “develop plans for responding to SI-enabled threats to our society, while preventing overregulation and regulatory capture that would stifle innovation and competition.”

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson is one of three vice chairs, alongside Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor and Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer. The Journal reported that Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will also serve. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to advise from outside government, as is David Sacks, the venture capitalist who held the AI czar job until March. The task force reports to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Clayton called super intelligence a national security issue in a recent CNBC interview, and he told the Journal that “the risk of not being first is high.” The idea of a coordinated slowdown came last month from Anthropic PBC Chief Executive Dario Amodei, who argued that new models need more time for proper evaluation. Support followed from Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Clayton rejected that approach in the same CNBC interview. “I don’t think any American should think that that’s a good strategy,” he said.

The Senate confirmed Clayton as director of national intelligence in July. He chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term and later served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Trump first floated an “AI Force” and a new czar in a Sept. 19 Truth Social post that described fears about the technology’s dangers as a “hoax.” Ten days later, six technology leaders, Amodei and Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Jensen Huang among them, signed a voluntary safety accord at the White House on the same day Trump issued the renaming order.

The one-page document commits signatories to “four layers of controls and audits,” and it asks each lab to set up an independent board committee to oversee safety work. Asked whether the accord was binding, Trump said, “I think it’s morally binding.”

Photo: NARA and DVID Public Domain Archives

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