Jay Clayton named head of US AI task force

American intelligence director Jay Clayton will head a new working group which will, within 120 days, submit to Donald Trump a report on the threats of AI but also the means to prevent “overregulation”, the person told the Wall Street Journal.

For several days, American media have been announcing the imminent appointment of Jay Clayton to the position of government referent on AI. The official communicated with the Wall Street Journal before Donald Trump officially announced the name of the successor to David Sacks, who left at the end of March. The first mission of this group, called the “super intelligence unit,” will be to ensure that the United States “(remains) ahead (in the race for) super intelligence,” Jay Clayton told the financial daily, “and that the interests of the American people are prioritized.”

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The former boss of the American financial markets policeman is referring to the new name for AI decided by Donald Trump, who made it the official term within the American government. According to the task force's mission statement, obtained by the Wall Street Journal, it will have to make proposals "to respond to the threats linked to (AI) for our society."

This objective must be pursued “while preventing overregulation and regulatory capture which would penalize innovation and competition,” adds the document. Regulatory capture consists of letting some of the players in a market define the regulatory mechanisms themselves and agree to preserve their competitive advantage.

The cell will leave most of the AI ​​risk management to the industry itself, officials warned the Wall Street Journal, while working with companies in the sector.

On Tuesday, following a meeting at the White House, AI big bosses made a series of commitments in this area, including the integration of independent evaluators and the establishment of additional internal controls. The task force will include Vice President JD Vance, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth and Finance Minister Scott Bessent.