Trump’s new AI czar outlines U.S. strategy for AI risks and leadership, WSJ says

The U.S. government has established a new task force chaired by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to address artificial intelligence risks and opportunities, according to the Wall Street Journal. The task force, dubbed the "Super Intelligence Force," will operate for 120 days to assess the federal government's role in AI development.

Clayton, effectively serving as President Trump's AI czar, warned that falling behind other nations could expose the country to both known and unknown risks, particularly from U.S. adversaries. The group features three vice chairs: Emil Michael, responsible for coordinating with AI companies; Scott Kupor, who will liaise with critical infrastructure providers and industry stakeholders; and Andrew Ferguson, overseeing consumer interests and various groups concerned with privacy, religious freedom, and free speech.

Notable members include Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. External participants comprise venture capitalist David Sacks and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will contribute insights on national security. The task force plans to collaborate with AI companies to identify risks, rather than supplant existing industry safeguards.

It will also evaluate current laws and potential congressional action, as well as assess government systems for handling breaches, hacks, and model jailbreaks. The formation of the task force follows a White House meeting where industry leaders, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, endorsed voluntary principles for model monitoring, independent reviews, and board-level safety notifications.

The task force's mandate is to maintain the U.S.'s leadership in AI while safeguarding American citizens and avoiding regulations that might stifle innovation and competition.