Trump Launches 'Super Intelligence Force' to Steer US AI Policy

US President Donald Trump has announced the formation of a new taskforce dedicated to artificial intelligence, which he says will cement American leadership in the rapidly evolving field while reshaping how the federal government communicates about the technology. The body, named the "Super Intelligence Force," was revealed by the president in a post on Sunday and represents the latest step in his administration's aggressive push to rebrand and reorganize its approach to AI governance.

According to Trump, the taskforce will be chaired by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, a figure with a lengthy background in federal law enforcement. The president framed the group's mission as twofold: ensuring the United States remains at the forefront of AI development and coordinating the government's outreach to a wide array of stakeholders. In his post, Trump said the force would manage engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers, and the companies driving the technology forward.

The announcement follows an executive order signed by Trump on 29 September that formally renamed artificial intelligence as "Super Intelligence" across the federal government. The president had previously argued that the word "artificial" carried negative connotations, suggesting it made the technology sound "fake." Under the order, government departments and agencies are instructed to adopt the terms "SI" and "Super Intelligence" in official correspondence, websites, reports, and other communications, and to cease acknowledging the older terminology.

Joining Clayton on the taskforce are several senior officials drawn from across the administration. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson will participate, as will Emil Michael, the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and Scott Kupor, who directs the Office of Personnel Management. The group will report directly to the president and to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, placing it at the center of the administration's decision-making apparatus. According to Trump, the force will serve as a coordinating hub rather than a regulatory body.

Clayton's appointment as chair builds on a career that spans both the courtroom and the intelligence community. He assumed the role of national intelligence director in August after Trump's initial nominee, Bill Pulte, failed to win confirmation from lawmakers. Before entering the intelligence world, Clayton served as US attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he oversaw a series of high-profile prosecutions, including the drug trafficking case against former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. His past comments on AI suggest a cautious but pragmatic outlook: he has said that when something is simultaneously an opportunity and a threat, "you better get your arms around it."

The creation of the taskforce comes amid mounting pressure from within the technology industry for more robust oversight. Executives at leading AI firms, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have publicly urged lawmakers and regulators to tighten rules governing the technology. The announcement also follows a separate initiative in which top tech bosses signed what Trump described as a "morally binding" pact on AI safety. That agreement, signed on 29 September, bore the signatures of leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX, and Google, among others.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has emerged as a prominent voice in the debate, arguing that the potential benefits of AI outweigh its dangers. In an interview published on 4 October, Altman told Politico's technology-focused newsletter Decoded that society should be willing to tolerate some adverse outcomes in exchange for the advantages the technology offers, and he insisted that AI should remain accessible to the general public. His comments reflect a wider tension between calls for guardrails and concerns that heavy-handed regulation could stifle innovation.

Trump, however, has consistently dismissed appeals for stricter oversight, preferring to let AI companies police themselves. His administration's approach stands in contrast to the more interventionist stance taken by some lawmakers and advocacy groups, who worry that rapid deployment of powerful systems could pose risks to privacy, security, and democratic institutions. The new taskforce, with its emphasis on coordination rather than enforcement, appears designed to reflect that deregulatory philosophy while still presenting a formal structure for government engagement.

The rebranding effort has not been universally welcomed. Some experts have questioned the logic behind replacing "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence," noting that the latter term is typically reserved for hypothetical systems that surpass human cognition in nearly every domain. They warn that using it as a catch-all label could sow confusion among the public and within the scientific community, muddling discussions about the capabilities and limitations of today's technology.

Not everyone in the tech world has resisted the new vocabulary. Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire who leads Tesla and SpaceX, declared on social media Sunday that he would rename his company's AI platform from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, writing that "SpaceX is a super intelligence company." Musk's endorsement gives the rebranding a high-profile backer, though his relationship with Trump has been turbulent. He previously headed the so-called Department of Government Efficiency before his tenure ended in a public spat with the president, and he has recently been brought back into government to participate in a project examining the future of warfare.

The taskforce's formal launch also raises questions about how it will interact with existing federal agencies. The inclusion of the FTC chair suggests a role for consumer protection and competition policy, while the participation of a senior Pentagon official points to concerns about national security and defense applications. The presence of the personnel management director hints at workforce and talent issues, an area where the government has struggled to compete with private-sector pay and culture. How these disparate priorities will be reconciled remains unclear.

For the White House, the announcement serves multiple purposes. It signals to the technology industry that the administration is attentive to its needs, reassures voters that someone is minding the store, and advances Trump's broader project of stamping his imprint on the language and structure of federal policy. Whether the "Super Intelligence Force" becomes a durable institution or a short-lived branding exercise will depend on how much authority it is given and how effectively Clayton can navigate the competing interests at play.

The coming months are likely to test the taskforce's influence. Congress may weigh in with its own legislative proposals, and international allies and rivals will be watching closely to see how the United States positions itself in the global race for AI dominance. For now, the administration has made its intentions clear: it wants to lead, it wants to rebrand, and it wants a single coordinated voice when it speaks to the public and the private sector about the technology that is reshaping economies and societies alike.