Trump puts his spy chief over a new Superintelligence Force

What happened: President Trump announced on Truth Social Sunday that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will lead a new federal AI task force called the Superintelligence Force. FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael, and OPM director Scott Cooper serve alongside him. Clayton told the Wall Street Journal a report on AI's risks and opportunities is due within 120 days. The group is meant to coordinate Washington's dealings with consumers, religious groups, infrastructure providers, and AI companies. Asked about slowing frontier AI, Clayton said he doesn't think any American should think that's a good strategy. The task force has no regulatory power and sits on top of a voluntary accord the companies wrote themselves.
The claim: Trump says the group will ensure America continues to lead the world in superintelligence.
Austin's take: Austin sees it as maybe a positive sign that government wants progress to continue, but admits it's a little disconcerting to have the top spy leading the most powerful technology ever built and isn't sure why the DNI was picked. He liked the nod to religious groups as a possible check on talk of AI consciousness and souls, and thinks real safety will come from mass adoption and open source guardrails built by developers.
Why it matters: Putting an intelligence official in charge frames US AI policy first as a national security issue, and leadership has already signaled it won't slow frontier development.
What to do: Watch for the 120 day report from Clayton's group. Remember this body coordinates rather than regulates, so rules still come from elsewhere.

The Loop