WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed national intelligence chief Jay Clayton as head of a new White House task force on artificial intelligence, amid increasingly vocal warnings from researchers about the technology’s potential dangers.
Under Clayton, the new Super Intelligence Force — Trump’s preferred term for artificial intelligence — will ensure that the United States “continue to lead the world” in AI development, the president posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump said the force had also been tasked to “protect the interests, and improve the lives of all Americans”. Clayton will become the second person to hold the informal title after venture capitalist David Sacks, who held the role at the start of Trump’s second term before stepping down.
Sacks continues to advise the president on AI, as does Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Trump said last month he would create an AI force modelled on the Space Force he established during his first term, and name a czar to coordinate federal efforts.
A longtime Wall Street lawyer, Clayton represented Goldman Sachs during the 2008 financial crisis and Barclays in its purchase of Lehman Brothers’ assets.
He chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, where he largely took a pro-business stance but brought enforcement cases against the nascent crypto industry.
Crypto entrepreneurs have since become major Trump backers. Trump tapped Clayton to lead federal prosecutors in Manhattan at the start of his second term, and the Senate confirmed him as intelligence chief in July.
He has no background in the tech industry.
Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2026
