President Trump announced the creation of a "Super Intelligence Force" on Sunday to coordinate federal artificial intelligence policy. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton is listed as a primary leader of the task force and has been widely reported as the administration's new AI czar.
The force will coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies, according to Trump's announcement. Other leaders include Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. The group will report to Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The announcement follows what Trump called the "Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence," in which major tech companies committed responsibilities to the American public. AI company leaders met with Trump at the White House the previous week.
Clayton's Crypto Enforcement Record
Clayton's appointment marks a return to a prominent policy role following his tenure as SEC chair during Trump's first term. As chair, Clayton brought 57 cases against crypto firms, initial coin offerings and other blockchain projects.
His most notable crypto enforcement action came in December 2020, in one of his final acts as SEC chair, when the agency sued Ripple for $1.3 billion, alleging the company sold XRP as an unregistered security. The case became a template for subsequent lawsuits brought by later SEC leadership against other token issuers and exchanges.
Recent Roles
After leaving the SEC, Clayton joined One River Asset Management as a crypto adviser in 2021 and sat on the advisory board of crypto custodian Fireblocks. In 2025, Trump installed Clayton as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where his office has continued prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
