Trump reportedly preparing to name intelligence chief Clayton as AI tsar

Reports published on October 2 said US President Donald Trump was expected to appoint director of national intelligence Jay Clayton to oversee artificial-intelligence policy in the United States, potentially while Clayton continues to lead the country’s intelligence agencies. The White House said any personnel decision would be announced by Trump and dismissed advance reporting as speculation.¹²

No official announcement

According to Al Jazeera, Clayton was the anticipated choice for AI tsar, with an announcement possible by Friday. The Independent separately reported that Clayton was likely to become Trump’s principal adviser on AI. Neither report amounted to confirmation from the administration, and the White House said personnel announcements would come directly from the president.¹²

The sources differ in how firmly they describe Clayton’s continuing intelligence responsibilities. The Independent said he was anticipated to remain in his present post, leading 18 US intelligence agencies. Al Jazeera said it remained unclear whether he would perform both jobs. According to Al Jazeera, the Senate confirmed Clayton in July to oversee the intelligence agencies; The Independent reported that he appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington on July 15.¹²

A second role under consideration

According to The Independent, Trump had earlier announced his intention to name a new AI czar and establish an AI force. Al Jazeera reported that he announced the planned appointment last month. David Sacks, a venture capitalist who held the AI position early in Trump’s second term, resigned from that role earlier this year and became an outside adviser, according to the reports. The Independent reported that Sacks remains an adviser to Trump on artificial intelligence.¹²

Clayton took over the administration role previously held by Tulsi Gabbard in May, The Independent reported. Gabbard said she resigned to support her husband after he was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. Clayton, a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, now serves as the country’s intelligence chief.¹²

AI policy disputes

Clayton attended a White House AI meeting with Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, according to Al Jazeera. That outlet reported that Trump criticised Amodei’s appeal for slower AI development and described fears about the technology as a hoax and a scam. Both outlets also said several AI researchers had cautioned that artificial intelligence might cause human deaths within the next 10 years.¹²

Anthropic has said its technology cannot be used for autonomous weapons or surveillance, according to Al Jazeera. A federal appeals court concluded that the government had sufficient grounds to determine that the company’s products posed a supply-chain risk, allowing the government to blacklist Anthropic from Department of Defense contracts. The company’s prospectus for an expected initial public offering next month said administration attacks and lawsuits could damage its relationships with customers and government partners, and warned that AI could create catastrophic or existential risks for humanity.¹