Trump Launches Super Intelligence Force Led by Jay Clayton

President Donald Trump has announced the creation of a Super Intelligence Force, a new federal task force that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will chair, with a mandate to report on AI risks and opportunities within 120 days.

Trump made the announcement in a Sunday morning post on Truth Social. "The Super Intelligence Force is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence, which many say is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet, and will protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans," Trump wrote.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Clayton will chair the body — effectively making him the administration's AI and "super intelligence" czar. Three officials will serve as vice chairs:

• Andrew Ferguson, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission
• Emil Michael, Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering
• Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management

What does the task force actually do?

The body has 120 days to produce a report on the risks and opportunities presented by AI, the Journal reports. Its charter, as reported, states that it will "develop plans for responding to SI-enabled threats to our society, while preventing overregulation and regulatory capture that would stifle innovation and competition."

That dual mandate — preparing for AI-enabled threats while guarding against heavy-handed regulation — signals the administration's stated priority of speed over precaution.

Clayton has already framed the stakes in competitive terms. He previously said it would be irresponsible for the United States to "back away" from AI while countries like China advance, and he made similar comments to the Journal, insisting that one of the biggest risks is "not being first."

Where did the "super intelligence" branding come from?

The name follows a deliberate rebranding effort. Trump signed an executive order seeking to relabel AI as "super intelligence," a term tech executives embraced — with some stumbles — when they gathered at the White House this week to sign a non-binding safety pledge.

The idea dates to September, when Trump responded to an AI safety debate he has largely dismissed as a hoax created by "Radical Left Dumocrats." He said then that he would form an AI Force and appoint an AI czar, adding: "Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!"

Why it matters

The task fource's composition points to a broad interagency remit spanning intelligence, antitrust, defense technology and federal workforce policy. With a 120-day reporting deadline, the administration has set a fast clock for defining how Washington plans to manage AI threats without the regulation Clayton's charter explicitly warns against.