Technology and Science · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Trump Expected To Name Director Of National Intelligence Jay Clayton AI Czar
Clayton, Director of National Intelligence, poised to become AI czar May keep DNI role while adding AI policy responsibilities
How much to specify timing and role details.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: administration’s executive order prefers the term “Super Intelligence”..
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NBC News
“Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House’s artificial intelligence czar, according to a source familiar with the matter”Read the original ↗
Reuters
“US President Donald Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to be his top adviser on AI”Read the original ↗
NBC News and Reuters rely on unnamed sources and add little beyond that, while some outlets speculate more on timing and duties.
Clayton eyed as AI czar
President Donald Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as his top adviser on AI, a role Trump has called an "AI czar" in the past. Clayton would keep overseeing 18 US intelligence agencies while also taking on the AI portfolio. A White House official told Reuters, "Any personnel announcement will be announced directly by the president," and the official added that "Any reporting until then is baseless speculation."R
Trump has previously said he planned to name a new "AI czar" and create an "AI force," though he gave no details about either initiative or how they would be implemented. The decision comes after AI researchers warned that people building the technology believe it could kill humans within a decade.
Self-policing and superintelligence
CNN said Trump gathered several AI and technology CEOs at the White House on Tuesday, and the meeting culminated in the signing of a new commitment aimed at better "self-policing" their companies' AI models. Clayton said, "Superintelligence is a national security issue," and Clayton used the term the Trump administration has formally adopted to refer to AI. Clayton told reporters that the administration would take a "whole-of-government approach" to regulating the technology.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he was "seeing tremendous self-policing" and that "they understand that they have to self-police." CBS News said Trump called the agreement "morally binding" and "almost like a constitution" shortly after meeting with AI executives.
Risks, oversight, and Anthropic
Al Jazeera said Clayton's possible selection comes after warnings from multiple AI researchers that the technology could kill humans within a decade. Anthropic warned that US government attitudes toward the company could impact its business, and it cited an IPO prospectus seen by Reuters saying the company said the Trump administration's attacks and lawsuits could hurt relationships with customers and other government partners. RThe filing revealed that AI could pose "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity".
A federal appeals court ruled last week that the US government could blacklist Anthropic from US Department of Defense contracts, and it quoted the court saying the agency "had ample support for its conclusion." Al Jazeera said Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Clayton attended Tuesday's AI meeting at the White House, and it added that Anthropic said it will not allow its technology to be used for autonomous weapons or surveillance.