White House Forms AI Working Group Led by Director of National Intelligence

NEW YORK, October 4. /TASS/. A new White House working group on artificial intelligence (AI) will spend four months assessing the technology’s risks and opportunities and defining the federal government’s role in the field, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

"The president (US President Donald Trump - TASS) asked that a group be put together that was going to ensure exactly what he said. <…> We stay the leaders in superintelligence, and that the interests of the American people are put first," Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, who heads the Super Intelligence Force, told the newspaper.

According to a White House source cited by the WSJ, this effectively means that Clayton will be responsible for AI development in the United States. The working group will operate on the premise that the AI industry itself should be primarily responsible for managing potential risks. Clayton said he expects the dialogue between the government and the AI industry to produce mechanisms similar to those used in other industries. He added that the working group would review legislation and discuss measures Congress could take.

The new working group’s charter calls for it to develop plans to address AI-related threats to society while preventing excessive regulation that could hinder innovation and competition, the newspaper reported.

In late September, in an interview with Axios, Trump called Clayton "a good man" who is worthy of overseeing AI development in his administration.