Trump Taps Intelligence Chief Jay Clayton as AI Czar to Lead 'Super Intelligence Force'

President Trump said on Sunday, October 4, 2026, that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will serve as White House AI czar, NPR reported. Clayton will lead a new “Super Intelligence Force,” which Trump said will “ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence.”

The appointment follows through on a promise Trump made about two weeks earlier, when he said he was forming an “AI Force” and would soon name an AI czar; see our report on the AI Force announcement.

What the group will do

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Super Intelligence Force will coordinate the federal government’s engagement with “Consumers, Public Interest Groups, Religious Organizations, Critical Infrastructure Providers, and Super Intelligence Companies.” NPR noted that Trump prefers the term “super intelligence” to “artificial intelligence.”

He named three other members: Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, and Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Who Jay Clayton is

Before being confirmed earlier this year as Director of National Intelligence, Clayton was US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to NPR. In a CNBC interview the previous month, he called super intelligence a “national security issue” and pushed back on calls to pause AI development, noting that other countries are continuing to develop it. “I don’t think any American should think that that’s a good strategy,” he said.

The role has a predecessor. NPR recalled that venture capitalist David Sacks served as Trump’s AI and crypto czar before stepping down earlier this year to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

What it may mean

NPR said it is unclear what the appointment means for the AI industry, since federal AI regulation is limited and Congress has not passed a law broadly regulating the development or use of AI. Some states, including California, have acted on their own; see our report on Newsom’s executive order.

The appointment also comes days after Trump and AI company leaders signed a voluntary accord at the White House, and Trump had said he would name someone to oversee it; see our report on the accord. The membership of the new group, which includes the FTC chairman, connects it to agencies that already have some authority over the companies.

What to watch

Watch how the Super Intelligence Force is staffed and funded, whether Clayton keeps his intelligence post alongside the new role, and how the group relates to the voluntary accord and to the state investigations now under way.