Donald Trump Reportedly Picks Jay Clayton as New US AI Czar

US President Donald Trump has reportedly selected Jay Clayton, the current Director of National Intelligence, as his administration’s new AI czar. Clayton is expected to lead a proposed White House task force called the ‘Super Intelligence Force’, with the group given 120 days to study the risks and opportunities associated with rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and recommend the US government’s role in managing the technology. Clayton would succeed venture capitalist David Sacks, who stepped down as Trump’s AI and crypto czar in March. However, Trump has not yet publicly confirmed Clayton’s appointment.

The reported move comes shortly after major AI industry leaders met Trump at the White House and agreed to voluntary safety standards. The development comes as concerns over AI safety have intensified following hacking incidents involving autonomous or “rogue” AI agents and warnings from researchers about potential risks. While executives including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei have advocated federal safeguards for advanced AI systems, Trump has generally opposed tighter regulation. Clayton, a lawyer and economist by training, previously chaired the US Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017 to 2020 and was confirmed as Director of National Intelligence by the Senate in July 2026.