Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence, has been tapped by the Trump administration to lead a new White House task force on artificial intelligence, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
The group will be called the "Super Intelligence Force," or SI. The term reflects Trump's stated preference for "superintelligence" over "AI." Clayton will serve as the administration's de facto AI czar.
The task force has 120 days to research and report on AI's risks and opportunities and to offer recommendations on the federal government's responsibilities regarding the technology, Clayton told the Journal.
"The president asked that a group be put together that was going to ensure exactly what he said, which is that we stay the leaders in superintelligence, and that the interests of the American people are put first," Clayton said, according to the Journal.
Clayton previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission and served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. The Senate confirmed him in July as director of national intelligence, giving him authority over 18 intelligence agencies.
The announcement follows a White House meeting between Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and AI industry leaders. Those developers signed onto an agreement of voluntary safety standards that Trump described as "morally binding."
In September, Trump announced plans to create an "AI Force" and hire an AI czar. He stated at the time: "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry. Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!"
The Trump administration has opposed regulation despite calls from AI leaders including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for federal guardrails on frontier AI models. In his September announcement, Trump suggested AI fears were a hoax and blamed "Radical Left Dumocrats."
David Sacks, a venture capitalist who previously served as Trump's AI and crypto czar, ended his time as a special government employee in March. Sacks remains co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a federal advisory committee of outside experts on technology and scientific research.