Jay Clayton, Superintelligence Task Force Head and Trump's AI Czar
Trump announces a new superintelligence task force led by Jay Clayton, the White House AI czar, to ensure U.S. leadership in international competition over AI development.
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10/14/2026 On October 14, 2026, Trump announced a new superintelligence task force with White House AI czar Jay Clayton as head of the group charged with ensuring the United States leads the international race in AI development.
"Bigger than the Industrial Revolution and the Internet" - US President Donald Trump used a comparison borrowed from "many others" to describe artificial intelligence (AI) in his announcement of a "superpower of intelligence".
The president's move to address the rapid development of the AI industry came after he met with top AI executives at the end of September — and a month before midterm elections in November. Trump has faced increasing pressure and warnings from business and political leaders about the largely unregulated technology.
The name echoes Trump's executive order in September renaming "artificial intelligence" to "superintelligence" (SI). Jay Clayton, director of national security and the president's new AI czar, is leading the task force.
The task force will coordinate administration efforts "to ensure America continues to lead the world in cyberspace" and "protect the interests and improve the lives of all Americans," Trump said.
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Trump has made it clear that he does not want to "stifle regulatory progress." The SI industry, and a reported charter for the group, says it will work to prevent "excessive oversight and regulatory capture."
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The White House has not released any information about the super-intelligence force, but a copy of the group's responsibilities charter has been reported in the Wall Street Journal and Politico.
The reported document indicates that the group's scope of work is broad, but it names biosecurity and threats to water supplies as areas of concern. Recent cyber attacks have targeted critical infrastructure in the United States.
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The group will work with some of the most important US government agencies, including the Pentagon, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to make recommendations for new rules to improve government responses.
A legal requirement for AI labs to notify the government of "breaches, hacks and jailbreaks" should be considered, as well as the potential for automated alerts.
"Although labs are ultimately responsible for the risks and opportunities their models foster and accelerate, the federal government's role is to recognize and understand these times of change and to enforce our nation's laws in a way that protects and advances the fundamental principles of our republic," the report said.
Charter duties include financial services, energy infrastructure, transportation services, agriculture and emergency services. Trump said the task force would coordinate government engagement with consumers, public interest groups and faith-based organizations, as well as critical infrastructure suppliers and artificial intelligence companies, though some critics pointed to the exclusion of workers.
The task force has 120 days to issue a report on the risks of artificial intelligence, focusing on potential threats to civil liberties, cybersecurity, advanced modeling standards, and potential overreach.
Clayton, whom Trump named artificial intelligence czar in early October, will chair the task force. He told the Wall Street Journal that he expects AI mechanisms to be developed "in conversation" with risk models developed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which he chaired during Trump's first term, and the Federal Reserve for the financial industry.
The reported charter also named three vice-chairmen of the task force:
Emil Michael, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Affairs
Scott Cooper, director of the Office of Personnel Management
According to the charter, Ferguson is expected to oversee the interests of consumers and advocacy groups. His inclusion comes as the FTC is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and METR for rogue AI agents with potentially nefarious applications.
Michael, a former technology consultant who sat on Perplexity's AI advisory board, will oversee coordination with AI companies. Kupor is responsible for coordinating with critical infrastructure providers and other industry stakeholders
Key members of Trump's cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, are also on the task force. The reported charter also lists David Sachs, Trump's former AI czar, and Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state under George W. Bush, as foreign members.
The task force is to report findings and recommendations to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
According to Politico, several key Republicans were not briefed on the super-intelligence force's plans before Trump's announcement. The task force comes as leading Republican senators prepare major AI legislation to reduce the risks posed by artificial intelligence.
Democrats have criticized the president, with House Rep. Lori Trahan telling CNN that Trump was "just talking about an AI force without any viable strategy on how to get it done through congressional authorization" as more of a delaying tactic.
"We need to pass laws and safeguards around border labs. And this does neither of those things," Trahan said.
Josh Guttheimer, another Democrat, told Politico that he, too, is skeptical of Trump's motives.
"If the president wakes up and realizes that the dangers of AI are not a hoax, and takes concrete steps to protect America, that would be great," Guttheimer said. "If this is just a public relations diversion and an attempt to protect his family's investments, then I have a massive diversion. Problem."