President Donald Trump has named Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), to the newly created role of White House AI czar. Clayton will retain his position leading the nation's intelligence agencies while taking on additional responsibilities for overseeing the administration's approach to artificial intelligence. The appointment signals a focus on national security implications of AI development.
Clayton will head a newly formed executive task force, internally referred to as the "Super Intelligence Force," which has been ordered to deliver a comprehensive assessment within 120 days. This assessment will detail both the national security risks and the strategic economic opportunities presented by rapidly advancing AI systems. The task force will examine AI security vulnerabilities and critical failure risks, audit current government incident-reporting channels for cyber breaches and model malfunctions, and propose actions to bolster federal rapid-response capabilities.
The move comes as debate intensifies over AI safety and regulation. While some researchers have warned of existential threats posed by frontier AI models, President Trump has generally favored a less regulated approach, emphasizing the need to maintain U.S. competitiveness against rivals like China. Clayton himself has acknowledged AI as both an opportunity and a threat, stating, "When something's both an opportunity and a threat, you better get your arms around it."
Clayton's background includes serving as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan and leading the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term. He was confirmed as Director of National Intelligence in July. This is not the first time the Trump administration has appointed an AI czar; venture capitalist David Sacks previously held a similar role earlier in the second term.
The task force's vice chairs will include Emil Michael, Scott Kupor, and Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are also listed as members. External advisers will include David Sacks and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.