President Donald Trump announced a federal task force chaired by Jay Clayton, with a reported 120-day deadline to assess AI risks and opportunities.
President Donald Trump announced the creation of a federal Super Intelligence Force on October 4, 2026, saying it would coordinate the government’s work to maintain U.S. leadership in advanced AI. The announcement follows an earlier commitment to form an AI-focused task force and appoint a senior official to lead the effort.
National intelligence director Jay Clayton is set to chair the group, according to details reported by The Wall Street Journal and cited by TechCrunch. The reported vice chairs are Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor.
The task force reportedly has 120 days to produce a report on AI’s risks and opportunities. Its charter calls for plans to address threats enabled by advanced AI while avoiding regulation or regulatory capture that could hinder innovation and competition. The announcement does not specify what actions, if any, the administration will take after the report is completed.
The force is part of a recent shift in the administration’s terminology: Trump signed an executive order seeking to describe AI as “super intelligence.” The move came after technology executives gathered at the White House to sign a nonbinding safety pledge. The administration had announced the planned task force in September during a public debate over AI safety, which Trump had dismissed.
Clayton has argued that the United States should not retreat from AI development while other countries, including China, make progress. He has also identified the possibility of falling behind as a major risk. The task force’s stated remit therefore pairs plans for responding to AI-enabled threats with a directive to avoid rules that could suppress competition.