President Donald Trump has created a new White House taskforce to oversee the federal government’s engagement on artificial intelligence, putting Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton in charge.
Trump said the body, to be known as the “Super Intelligence Force,” will coordinate how federal agencies interact with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and major AI companies.
Clayton, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, will lead the taskforce alongside Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael. The group will report directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
The move formalizes the administration’s approach to AI policy, which has favored direct coordination with industry over new federal legislation.
Trump has repeatedly argued that regulation would slow U.S. innovation and cede ground to China. “The U.S. is leading the race ahead of China,” he said. “And, frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins.”
Last week, President Xi Jinping traveled to Washington for a state visit. Shortly after, Trump ruled out any joint U.S.-China venture to develop advanced AI systems, saying such a partnership would risk sharing sensitive secrets.
The taskforce had first been announced in September. Its creation follows a White House pact signed September 29 with top AI developers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceX, described by the administration as a “morally binding” commitment for companies to ensure the safety of their own models.
On the same day, Trump signed an executive order instructing federal departments and agencies to use the terms “SI” and “Super Intelligence” in place of “AI” and “artificial intelligence” in official correspondence, reports and websites.
Some industry leaders have already adopted the new terminology. On Sunday, Elon Musk said he would rename his firm’s AI platform SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, writing on social media: “SpaceX is a super intelligence company.”
The administration’s light-touch approach has drawn criticism from Democrats pushing for formal regulation. Senator Elizabeth Warren said forming another committee was insufficient and called on Congress to “actually pass some meaningful regulations on AI to protect people.”
The taskforce is expected to begin consultations with companies and civil society groups in the coming weeks.
