President Trump is reportedly planning to appoint Jay Clayton, his current director of national intelligence, to take on an additional role overseeing artificial intelligence policy for the White House, a position Trump has taken to calling the super intelligence czar.
Clayton has already earned a vote of confidence from Trump, who previously told Axios he thought Clayton would be a solid choice for the job. According to sources familiar with the matter, who spoke with the publication, Clayton is expected to hold both titles simultaneously. This comes at a time when pressure is building on the government to step in and address how quickly AI technology is advancing, even though Trump has consistently pushed back against heavy regulation, repeatedly dismissing concerns that AI poses a serious threat to humanity as nothing more than a hoax.
What’s reportedly made Clayton an appealing pick is his track record as DNI, where he’s demonstrated that he takes the security risks tied to AI seriously, something that appears to have shifted Trump’s thinking in his favor.
Announcement Could Come This Week
Sources cited in the report said that Trump could formally announce the decision as early as Friday. A White House official responded to the report with a statement saying any personnel announcements would come directly from the president himself, dismissing anything said before that as unfounded speculation.
Trump Has Been Hinting at the Pick for Days
When Axios asked Trump earlier this week who he had in mind for the AI czar role, he kept things vague, simply saying he already had someone in mind. When pressed further and Clayton’s name came up, Trump spoke favorably of him, calling him a good man who was right there and describing the idea as a good one.
Clayton Has Already Been Vocal About AI’s Risks
Clayton isn’t new to discussing AI’s dangers. During his confirmation hearing for the DNI position, he described artificial intelligence as both an opportunity and a threat, arguing that anything carrying that dual nature needs serious attention.
More recently, in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Clayton referred to super intelligence as a national security issue, a view he said is shared by AI industry leaders who met with Trump at the White House earlier this week. Clayton himself attended that tech focused lunch. Still, he made clear he doesn’t believe anyone in that room thinks pausing AI development in the U.S. would be a smart strategy.
Part of a Broader AI Push From Trump
This potential appointment builds on an announcement Trump made last month, when he revealed plans to create something called an AI Force, though he offered few specifics at the time about what exactly that initiative would involve. Since then, Trump has met with a number of major figures in the AI industry, including some who have publicly pushed for slowing down the pace of AI development.