In a high‑profile Oval Office address on October 5, 2026, President Donald Trump announced the creation of a new federal taskforce called the “Super Intelligence Force.” The group will be led by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and is designed to ensure that the United States maintains a leadership edge in artificial intelligence.
The new taskforce will bring together federal agencies, consumer organisations, critical‑infrastructure providers, religious groups and private‑sector AI companies. It will circulate information, coordinate policy, and directly report to the president and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Trump’s announcement comes in the wake of an executive order issued on September 29 that renamed “artificial intelligence” as “Super Intelligence.” The change is part of a broader effort to re‑brand the technology and argue, as the president has said, that the word “artificial” gives the sense of a false or fake product.
Coalition for Safe AI, a pact signed by top executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Google, fuels the agenda for a new safety board that Trump promised to craft. This board will be instrumental in shaping the regulatory environment for AI under the new branding.
Jay Clayton, who took office as national intelligence director in August after a confirmation stalemate over his predecessor, has previously warned that the dual nature of AI—an opportunity and a threat—requires strong oversight. His experience as a former U.S. attorney and background in major legal cases such as the indictment of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, lends a high‑profile Angle to the initiative.
The initiative has come amid intense scrutiny from industry leaders about the safety protocols surrounding newly released AI models. OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, has stated that the public benefits of AI outweigh its risks, but internal concerns at OpenAI’s safety unit have sparked debate over the company’s culture and release practices.
Trump’s announcement coincided with several high‑profile industry statements. Elon Musk has embraced the new label, re‑branding SpaceXAI as SpaceXSI and describing it as a “Super Intelligence” company.
The taskforce’s creation illustrates the current partisan debate over the future of AI development, safety, and regulation. While the administration has largely opted to allow tech firms to self‑regulate, the new force signals a more proactive federal role in guiding the industry and addressing potential risks.
