President Trump creates new Super Intelligence Force to guide AI policy

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday the formation of a new taskforce aimed at coordinating the United States' approach to artificial intelligence, which will be called the "Super Intelligence Force." The group will be led by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and will report directly to the president and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor are also slated to serve on the taskforce.

The initiative follows an executive order signed on 29 September that directs federal agencies to replace the term "artificial intelligence" with "Super Intelligence" in official communications. The order also calls for the use of the abbreviation "SI" in place of "AI."

Clayton, who became the nation's intelligence director in August, said that AI presents both opportunities and threats that require careful management. The taskforce will work to maintain U.S. leadership in the technology's development and to coordinate government engagement with the public.

The move comes amid calls from industry leaders, including executives from OpenAI and Anthropic, for tighter regulation of the technology. In a recent interview, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman argued that the benefits of AI justify accepting some risks and that the technology should remain publicly accessible.

"When something's both an opportunity and a threat, you better get your arms around it," Clayton said.

The president has previously expressed skepticism about the term "artificial intelligence," describing it as sounding "fake," and has indicated a preference for industry self-regulation rather than stricter governmental oversight.