Trump Creates AI Task Force Led by National Intelligence Director
Decisions about how the U.S. government engages with artificial intelligence will now pass through a new task force led by the country’s top intelligence off...
Decisions about how the U.S. government engages with artificial intelligence will now pass through a new task force led by the country’s top intelligence official. President Donald Trump announced the group Sunday, giving it a broad remit that includes outreach to companies and public-interest groups as debate over safeguards continues.
Trump named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to lead the “Super Intelligence Force,” a term he has directed the federal government to use for artificial intelligence. The task force will report to the president and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, according to Trump’s announcement on Truth Social.
A broad role for the task force
Trump said the force would coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public-interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and technology companies. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson and Emil Michael, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, are also members.
The announcement followed a meeting last week between Trump and leaders of major AI companies. The president referred to a “White House Accord on Super Intelligence,” saying the companies had affirmed their responsibilities to the American public. The available announcement did not detail the accord’s terms.
The group’s remit reaches beyond government and industry. Religious organizations and consumer groups are among those the force is expected to engage. How that outreach will work, and what influence it will have on federal policy, was not specified.
Debate over safeguards continues
The task force comes as calls for rules to manage AI’s risks persist. Trump has rejected laws to control the technology’s development, while Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren has criticized the new group and called for regulation, according to the BBC.
Clayton, a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, was reported last week as a likely choice for an AI leadership role. His appointment now places the intelligence director at the center of the administration’s effort to coordinate its dealings with the sector.
Trump said the force’s goal was to keep the United States in a leading position. Its first engagements and the policy steps, if any, that follow will show how the administration intends to turn that mandate into action.
Source: cbsnews.com
