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Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP     (trump-jay-clayton-white-house-ai-czar.html#img-1)   View image in fullscreen       Donald Trump with Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, in Washington DC on 29 September. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP       (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration) Trump administration     Trump names intelligence chief Jay Clayton as new White House AI czar   Clayton had said AI was a ‘gamechanger’ but also posed ‘a threat’ during his confirmation hearing         (https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ariana-baio) Ariana Baio   Sun 4 Oct 2026 13.45 EDT  First published on Sun 4 Oct 2026 09.44 EDT   (mailto:?subject=Trump names intelligence chief Jay Clayton as new White House AI czar&body=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/04/trump-jay-clayton-white-house-ai-czar?CMP=share_btn_url) Share          (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=theguardian.com) Prefer the Guardian on Google          Donald Trump on Sunday named (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/04/jay-clayton-sworn-in-director-of-national-intelligence) Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence , to also serve as the new White House AI czar. Clayton, (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/11/trump-jay-clayton-director-of-national-intelligence) who leads the US’s 18 intelligence agencies , previously served as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan and led the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term.  During his (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhyiAhYXdhM) Senate confirmation hearing , Clayton said AI was a “gamechanger” but it also posed “a threat”. “When something’s both an opportunity and a threat, you better get your arms around it,” Clayton told lawmakers when asked about AI. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-likely-jay-clayton-ai-czar-sources-say/) CBS News was the first to report that Clayton would be appointed White House AI czar. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump announced that Clayton would lead what the US president called “the Super Intelligence Force (SIF)”. Trump’s post also said the SIF would “coordinate the federal government’s engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers, and super intelligence companies”. Among those reacting on Sunday to Trump’s invoking the term “super intelligence” was SpaceX chief (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/elon-musk) Elon Musk . Musk said on his social media platform X that SI was “better” than AI – and that he was (https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2106672603536712025?s=20) renaming his aerospace company’s AI unit from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI. Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is vice-chair of the Senate select committee on intelligence, cautiously welcomed the appointment of Clayton, while noting that “the administration has (https://www.warner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warner-statement-on-president-trumps-executive-order-to-rebrand-artificial-intelligence/) resisted meaningful safeguards without offering a serious alternative for addressing the national security risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems”. “I look forward to working with Director Clayton on ensuring the United States stays ahead of China and other adversaries, strengthening the security and resilience of our most advanced AI systems, and establishing rigorous testing and safeguards so that increasingly powerful systems remain secure, reliable, and under human control,” Warner added. In September, Trump (https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117298821562014906) announced he was (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/19/donald-trump-ai-force) creating an “AI Force”  and a czar to oversee the technology’s growth and monitor for “bad” development. The announcement came after (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/14/ai-ceo-safety-slowdown) tech industry leaders warned that AI was developing too rapidly to control and that it could harm humans. The president has largely brushed aside (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/28/ai-godfathers-warn-of-runaway-intelligence-explosion) concerns about AI development  and the construction of datacenters, which power the technology. Trump has insisted continued development is paramount to defeating China in the global AI race. But to address concerns, the president created an advisory committee in addition to the czar – whom he previously promised would be led by a “high IQ” individual. Trump also recently met with AI industry leaders to discuss concerns. On Tuesday, (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/30/trump-ai-accord-spelling-error) Trump and six executives signed an AI accord at the White House, promising to create internal and external monitors to ensure the technology is used as intended and any safety issues are addressed. Trump had initially created the AI and cryptocurrency czar position when he returned to the White House in January 2025. David Sacks, the venture capitalist and tech businessman, served as the administration’s AI and cryptocurrency czar until March 2026, when he reached his employment limit under his designation as a “special government employee”. Sacks still co-chairs the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Trump previously floated Clayton’s name as a potential AI czar, telling (https://www.axios.com/2026/09/29/ai-czar-white-house-trump-jay-clayton) Axios in September that Clayton was “a good man” and the prospect of appointing him was “a good idea”.         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