Trump launches ‘Super Intelligence Force’ to coordinate US AI strategy

US President Donald Trump has announced the creation of a new federal task force, the “Super Intelligence Force” (SIF), to coordinate the US government’s approach to artificial intelligence and help ensure that the United States remains a global leader in the rapidly developing technology.

Trump announced the initiative on Sunday, October 4, appointing Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence, to lead the new force.

The task force will bring together senior officials from across the administration and engage with technology companies, consumers, public-interest groups, religious organisations and operators of critical infrastructure.

Trump has increasingly adopted the term “Super Intelligence” in place of artificial intelligence.

On September 29, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in official communications.

The White House said the terminology was intended to reflect what it considers the increasingly advanced capabilities of the technology.

The new task force will be led alongside Clayton by Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission; Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for research and engineering and chief technology officer; and Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management.

The group will report directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

According to Reuters, the task force has been given 120 days to produce a comprehensive assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with AI and recommend the government’s role in managing the technology.

The initiative reflects the administration’s effort to balance technological development and national security concerns while avoiding regulations Trump believes could weaken US competitiveness, particularly against China.

The announcement follows a meeting Trump held last week with executives from leading technology companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and Nvidia.

The companies agreed to a voluntary framework covering internal safeguards, external audits and regular discussions on safety standards.

Trump described the agreement as a form of industry self-policing.

The creation of the SIF comes amid growing debate over the speed at which increasingly powerful AI systems are being developed.

Researchers and technology experts have raised concerns about cybersecurity, employment, misinformation and the possibility that advanced systems could create risks that existing regulatory frameworks are not prepared to handle.

Clayton, who previously chaired the US Securities and Exchange Commission, became Director of National Intelligence in August.

His appointment places the country’s intelligence chief at the centre of the administration’s strategy for managing a technology increasingly viewed as both an economic opportunity and a national-security challenge.

Trump has argued that the technological transformation could be larger than the Industrial Revolution and the internet, reinforcing his administration’s determination to keep the United States at the forefront of the global AI race.