White House Establishes Super Intelligence Force Task Force to Evaluate AI
The White House is establishing a Super Intelligence Force task force led by Jay Clayton to evaluate AI risks and opportunities over 120 days, balancing federal oversight with industry growth.
The White House is establishing the Super Intelligence Force, a government task force granted 120 days to formulate recommendations regarding the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence and to determine the federal government's role in the sector, according to Jay Clayton, Director of National Intelligence, speaking with The Wall Street Journal. The name reflects the term Donald Trump uses for AI: super intelligence, or SI.
Clayton will chair the task force. "The risk of not being first is high," he told the Journal. "Not being first magnifies identified and unidentified risks, especially from our adversaries. Being first will allow us to address these risks for the benefit of the American people."
Between Regulation and Freedom
The creation of the task force follows a White House meeting convened by Trump this week, attended by AI industry leaders, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. During the meeting, the industry agreed to a series of voluntary principles: internal controls on model development, external audits, and board updates on safety efforts.
"I will never stifle the growth of a technology that will be greater than the Industrial Revolution," Trump stated.
Although Trump has thus far advocated for minimal regulation, the establishment of the task force indicates a growing recognition within the administration that some government oversight is necessary. Figures such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles pushed for government action given the technology's public unpopularity and its potential for cyberattacks, including the possible use of biological weapons. This division within the administration has occasionally delayed policymaking.
Task Force Composition
Three vice-chairs will be appointed to the task force: Emil Michael, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, who will coordinate with AI companies; Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, who will coordinate with critical infrastructure providers; and Andrew Ferguson, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, who will oversee consumer interests.
Task force members will include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Bessent, and other officials. External participants will include venture capitalist David Sacks and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will advise on national security issues.
The task force's charter document states that it must "develop plans to address threats to society enabled by SI, while preventing overregulation that would stifle innovation and competition." The task force will also examine existing alert mechanisms concerning breaches, cyberattacks, and other issues.
If necessary, the task force's work can be extended beyond 120 days, or its functions can be transferred to a permanent government agency.
