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US President Donald Trump has announced the formation of a new taskforce dedicated to artificial intelligence, which he says will be chaired by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton. The president unveiled the "Super Intelligence Force" in a post on Sunday, describing it as a vehicle for maintaining American dominance in the rapidly evolving technology sector.
According to Trump, the group will be responsible for coordinating how the federal government communicates and engages with a broad range of stakeholders. In his statement, he listed consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and Super Intelligence companies as the primary parties the taskforce will work with. The president framed the initiative as a way to keep the United States at the forefront of development in the field.
The announcement follows an executive order Trump signed on 29 September that formally renamed artificial intelligence as "Super Intelligence" across the federal government. The president had previously argued that the word "artificial" gave the technology a negative or inauthentic connotation, saying it made the field sound "fake." That order directed government departments and agencies to adopt the terms "SI" and "Super Intelligence" in official correspondence, websites, reports and other communications, and to stop acknowledging the older terminology.
Beyond Clayton, the taskforce will include several other senior officials. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and Director of the Office of Personnel Management Scott Kupor have all been named as members. The group will report directly to the president and to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, placing it close to the center of executive power.
Clayton's appointment as head of the taskforce adds another significant portfolio to his role as the nation's top intelligence official. He assumed the position of national intelligence director in August, after Trump's initial nominee, Bill Pulte, failed to win confirmation from lawmakers. Clayton's background includes a tenure as US attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he oversaw a series of high-profile cases, among them the drug trafficking prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro.
On the subject of AI, Clayton has offered a measured perspective, saying: "When something's both an opportunity and a threat, you better get your arms around it." That comment suggests the taskforce may take a dual-track approach, promoting innovation while attempting to manage the national security and societal risks that advanced systems present.
The creation of the taskforce comes amid mounting pressure from influential figures in the technology industry, including executives at OpenAI and Anthropic, who have called for tighter regulation of AI. The debate over how aggressively to oversee the sector has become one of the most consequential policy questions in Washington, with critics warning that rapid deployment of powerful systems could outpace existing safeguards.
Trump has so far dismissed calls for stronger oversight and has largely favored a self-regulatory approach, leaving major decisions to the AI companies themselves. Last week, he said he would establish a board to oversee AI safety after leading technology executives signed what he described as a "morally binding" pact. That agreement, signed on 29 September, included the signatures of figures from OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Google, signaling at least a nominal commitment from industry leaders to responsible development.
In an interview published on 4 October, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman weighed in on the balance between risk and reward. He said the benefits of AI justify accepting some of the risks, and argued that the technology should remain accessible to the general public. "The world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency," Altman told Politico's technology-focused newsletter Decoded. His comments reflect a broader philosophical divide between those who prioritize rapid advancement and those who favor caution.
The rebranding of AI as Super Intelligence has not been universally welcomed. Some experts have questioned the logic behind the change, arguing that "super intelligence" already refers to far more advanced systems than those currently in use, and that applying the term broadly could cause confusion among the public and within government. The concern is that conflating present-day AI with hypothetical future systems may distort how policymakers and citizens understand the technology's current capabilities and limitations.
Some technology leaders have nonetheless embraced the new terminology. Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire who heads several companies, said on social media Sunday that he will rename his firm's AI platform from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI. "SpaceX is a super intelligence company," Musk wrote, aligning his branding with the administration's preferred language.
Musk's relationship with the Trump administration has been turbulent. He previously served as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, but his tenure ended in a public dispute with the president. More recently, he has been brought back into government work as part of a project examining the future of warfare, suggesting a partial reconciliation.
The taskforce's precise mandate, funding and timeline remain unclear from the president's announcement. It is not yet known how the group will interact with existing regulatory bodies such as the FTC, whose chair is a member, or whether it will have the authority to propose or enforce new rules. Those questions are likely to draw scrutiny from lawmakers and industry watchers in the coming weeks.
The move also raises questions about the role of the intelligence community in shaping AI policy. Placing the director of national intelligence at the helm of a technology-focused taskforce underscores the degree to which Washington now views AI through a national security lens, particularly as competition with rival powers intensifies. The blending of intelligence, trade and defense expertise on the panel suggests the administration intends to treat AI as a strategic asset rather than merely a commercial one.
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