Trump Names Sitting Intelligence Chief Jay Clayton as AI Czar, Doubling His Portfolio

President Trump announced on October 4, 2026, that Jay Clayton -- the sitting Director of National Intelligence -- will simultaneously lead a new White House effort Trump calls the "Super Intelligence Force," adding artificial intelligence policy to his existing role atop the 18-agency intelligence community. Clayton will be joined on the task force by FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael. The group has 120 days to report on AI's risks and opportunities and recommend what federal oversight role, if any, the government should play. Clayton, a former SEC chairman, called the assignment part of the "same portfolio" as his intelligence duties.

The appointment concentrates both the government's intelligence apparatus and its emerging approach to AI oversight in a single appointee, while leaving unclear whether Clayton will give up either role. It follows the March 2026 departure of the previous AI czar, David Sacks, who favored lighter-touch regulation than some critics say the technology now warrants.

Clayton's new role has not been written into a formal executive order defining his authority, and no congressional confirmation is required for the additional assignment.