Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will lead the Trump administration's response to artificial intelligence and chair a newly created White House task force, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 3.

Clayton told the Journal that he will head a White House task force to assess both the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence. The group is expected to outline the federal government's responsibilities regarding the technology within a 120-day timeline, including recommendations on what role the federal government should play.

BREAKING: The White House has created a new AI task force to examine the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence. Led by new AI czar Jay Clayton, the group will have 120 days to recommend what role the federal government should play. The task force will focus on… pic.twitter.com/4a83QzNqx3

— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) October 4, 2026

"The president requested the formation of a group to ensure that we maintain our leadership in superintelligence and prioritize the interests of the American people," Clayton stated.

According to a senior White House official, the team will be called the "Super Intelligence Force" (SI), a name that President Donald Trump prefers over the term AI. CNBC has reached out to the White House for comment but has not yet received a response.

Politics, Meetings, and the Ongoing AI Safety Debate

Public scrutiny of safety practices at leading artificial intelligence laboratories has intensified in recent years, and the debate in Washington over federal oversight remains unresolved. Unlike legislation, voluntary commitments are not legally enforceable — a distinction at the center of that debate.

The White House's move follows a meeting in which leaders from AI companies met with Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson. After the meeting, developers said they supported voluntary safety standards that Trump described as "morally binding."

WTF. This is concerning. The AI/SI industry now has another Jacob Coxon. David Robinson, who recently left OpenAI after 3.5 years, has now laid out WHY he quit, and says OpenAI's culture is BROKEN. This isn't some random outsider. He oversaw safety reports for 12 frontier… pic.twitter.com/gyiPSkTxT5

— Choblin (@choblin29) October 3, 2026

While Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, and Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, advocate federal regulations on advanced AI models, Trump has previously opposed any form of AI regulation. That standoff between lab leaders seeking binding rules and a president who has resisted them frames the central question the task force's 120-day review is meant to answer.

The entity that sets AI rules will significantly influence valuations across the sector. The direction those valuations ultimately take is yet to be seen, but AI regulation seems a matter of when, not if.

Who Is Jay Clayton, and Who Is He Replacing?

Clayton previously served as Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a role he held during Trump's first term, and as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In July, the Senate confirmed him as Director of National Intelligence, a position that oversees 18 U.S. intelligence agencies — duties he will now hold alongside the AI portfolio.

Clayton's appointment effectively returns AI policy leadership to a single designated official after venture capitalist David Sacks, who previously managed AI and cryptocurrency responsibilities for the administration, announced in March that his tenure as a special government employee had ended.

Sacks also serves as a co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, an official advisory group of external experts focused on technology, scientific research, and innovation policy.

What Could the Task Force Mean for AI and Crypto?

The 120-day timeline, the establishment of a formal task force, and a clear commitment to maintaining U.S. leadership in "superintelligence" have created expectations for forthcoming policy updates. The White House has outlined the group's remit in AI terms so far, with no stated crypto role, even though the AI and cryptocurrency portfolios previously shared a single point of contact in Sacks.

The combination of voluntary standards, Trump's inclination toward limited regulation, and the new superintelligence task force could shape views of AI platforms, chip manufacturers, and software companies.

As the news dropped, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $85,000, up 0.5% over the past 24 hours, while the broader crypto market was up 0.6%, with the total crypto market cap shooting back above $2.94 trillion.

The president's meme coin, TRUMP, is down 0.5% since yesterday, trading for just over $2 and still 97% below its all-time high of $73.43. That slide has led politicians, analysts, and everyday investors to accuse Trump of pump-and-dumping his own token — an accusation the president has vehemently denied.

Source: 99Bitcoins