Trump names four leaders for Super Intelligence Force AI task force
Trump named Jay Clayton, Andrew Ferguson, Emil Michael and Scott Kupor to a new AI coordination group, but its powers remain undefined.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
2 min read
President Donald Trump announced the Super Intelligence Force on Oct. 4, naming four officials to coordinate the federal government’s approach to artificial intelligence, which his administration calls “Super Intelligence.” The announced Super Intelligence Force members are Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Defense Undersecretary for Research and Engineering Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, ABC News reported.
Clayton will lead the task force, according to NBC News and ABC News. NBC News also reported that the group will report to Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Who are the Super Intelligence Force members and what will they do?
The roster brings together officials from intelligence, consumer protection, defense technology and the federal workforce. Trump said the group is meant to coordinate federal efforts to keep the United States in the lead in what the administration calls Super Intelligence, according to ABC News.
- Jay Clayton: Director of National Intelligence and the task force’s leader.
- Andrew Ferguson: Chair of the Federal Trade Commission.
- Emil Michael: Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
- Scott Kupor: Director of the Office of Personnel Management.
Trump also said the force will coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public-interest groups, religious organizations, critical-infrastructure providers and companies working in the field, ABC News reported.
The announcement did not spell out particular actions the group will take or what oversight authority it will have. ABC News said a White House request for further information did not receive an immediate response.
Clayton has been described in reporting as expected to take on a White House AI-czar role, but the available reports do not establish that Trump formally appointed him to that separate post.
What does “Super Intelligence” mean in the Trump administration?
The new task force follows a Sept. 29 executive order that changed the executive branch’s preferred language. The order directed agencies, where legally permitted, to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “artificial intelligence” and “AI” in official communications and policy documents.
Despite the rebrand, the order says those new terms cover the technologies and systems already included in the statutory definition of artificial intelligence, unless later changed by presidential action or Congress. It also directs the president’s science and technology adviser to submit proposed legislative language for a federal definition within 60 days.
That distinction leaves the latest announcement as a coordination move rather than a detailed regulatory plan. Trump has stated the force’s broad mission, while its specific powers and next steps have yet to be publicly outlined in the available reporting.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.