The group has been ordered to deliver a comprehensive assessment within 120 days detailing both the national security risks and the strategic economic opportunities created by rapidly advancing AI systems.
US President Donald Trump has named Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Jay Clayton as the White House’s new artificial intelligence (AI) czar, according to an interview published Saturday by The Wall Street Journal. Clayton, who assumed the role of national intelligence chief in August, will take the helm of a newly formed executive task force.
Speaking to the Journal, Clayton explained that the initiative, which is internally referred to by the administration as the “Super Intelligence Force”, focuses heavily on maintaining American dominance on the global stage. “The president asked that a group be put together to ensure the US remains a leader in advanced AI while protecting Americans’ interests. The risk of not being first is high,” he was quoted as saying. The appointment comes amid a public debate over AI safety. In recent weeks, several leading researchers have raised alarms, warning that certain developers building frontier models fear the technology could present existential threats to human life within the next ten years.
Clayton’s panel will: Examine AI security vulnerabilities and critical failure risks; audit current government incident-reporting channels covering cyber breaches, intrusions and model malfunctions; and propose administrative actions to bolster federal rapid-response infrastructure relying entirely on existing statutory authorities, according to the task force’s formal charter reviewed by the Journal. Trump, by contrast, has favoured minimal regulation by consistently maintaining that strict government controls and oversight rules would blunt the country’s competitive edge against geopolitical rivals like China. Clayton marks the second official tapped to steer AI strategy across Trump’s second term, succeeding Silicon Valley venture capitalist David Sacks, who filled the AI czar post during the administration’s initial months. The newly formed task force brings together prominent cabinet officials, regulators, and private-sector advisers: Role Appointed Officials / Advisers Chair Jay Clayton (Director of National Intelligence) Vice Chairs Emil Michael, Scott Kupor, and Andrew Ferguson (Federal Trade Commission Chair) Core Task Force Members JD Vance (Vice President) , Pete Hegseth (Defense Secretary) , Scott Bessent (Treasury Secretary) , and Susie Wiles (White House Chief of Staff) External Advisers David Sacks (Former AI Czar / Venture Capitalist) and Condoleezza Rice (Former Secretary of State) You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.