Trump expected to name intelligence chief Jay Clayton as AI czar

President Donald Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House's AI czar, according to Reuters. CBS News first reported the likely choice on Oct. 1. Clayton is expected to retain his intelligence role.

The White House hasn't confirmed the choice. "Any personnel announcement will be announced directly by the President. Any reporting until then is baseless speculation," a White House official said.

Trump said last month that he would name an AI czar, writing on social media, "Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!" After meeting AI executives at the White House on Sept. 29, he told reporters he planned to name one within three or four days. "We have somebody that's extraordinary," he said.

Clayton ran the SEC in Trump's first term

The Senate confirmed Clayton as director of national intelligence in July. A lawyer, he previously served as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan and led the Securities and Exchange Commission for most of Trump's first term.

He would be Trump's second AI czar. Venture capitalist David Sacks was named crypto and AI czar early in Trump's second term. Sacks stepped down earlier this year but still co-chairs the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

The reports follow a voluntary AI safety accord

At that meeting, six AI companies, including Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta (META), Nvidia (NVDA), OpenAI and Anthropic, signed a voluntary safety accord that Trump called "morally binding". The agreement includes no stated consequences for a company that doesn't comply. Separately, the Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI developers.

Trump is skeptical of tighter AI regulation and has argued that a slowdown could give Chinese AI labs an edge. He said last month that he would also create an "AI force," but gave no details about either initiative.