Trump Likely to Tap DNI Jay Clayton as White House AI Czar, Reports Say

Trump Likely to Tap DNI Jay Clayton as White House AI Czar, Reports Say

WASHINGTON,  — President Donald Trump is likely to select Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to serve as his White House artificial intelligence czar as the administration moves to establish a more centralized approach to rapidly advancing AI technology, according to multiple reports.

CBS News reported Thursday night that Clayton is the likely choice, citing three sources briefed on the discussions. Trump is expected to make a final decision soon, and administration officials have discussed allowing Clayton to remain director of national intelligence while also assuming the AI portfolio.

The appointment, however, is not yet official.

A White House official told CBS News that personnel announcements would come directly from the president and characterized reporting ahead of an announcement as speculation.

Trump has already publicly identified Clayton as someone he believes could handle the position. Axios reported earlier this week that Trump said Clayton would be a good candidate for AI czar.

Clayton currently serves as the nation’s director of national intelligence, overseeing the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community and serving as the president’s principal intelligence adviser. He was confirmed by the Senate in July and sworn in Aug. 3.

Before taking over the intelligence community, Clayton served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He is also well known from Trump’s first administration, when he served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017 through 2020.

The possible appointment comes as Trump moves quickly to define his administration’s approach to artificial intelligence.

Trump announced last month that he intended to name an AI czar. Following a White House meeting Tuesday with leaders from some of the country’s largest technology companies, Trump told reporters he expected to announce his selection within several days.

The timing is significant.

At Tuesday’s meeting, executives from major AI and technology companies agreed to voluntary safety principles intended to guide the development of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems. Trump has favored a relatively light federal regulatory approach while arguing that the United States must remain ahead of China in the global race for AI leadership.

The administration has also launched America.gov, a new AI-powered federal portal designed to give Americans a single starting point for accessing government information and services.

If Clayton receives the additional assignment while remaining DNI, the arrangement could place one of the administration’s top intelligence officials at the center of decisions involving both AI policy and national security.

Artificial intelligence increasingly intersects with cybersecurity, intelligence collection, military technology, critical infrastructure, foreign influence operations and competition with China. Those issues have made AI policy a matter extending well beyond Silicon Valley.

At the same time, important questions remain unanswered about exactly what authority an AI czar would have.

The White House has not publicly released a detailed description of the position’s powers, reporting structure or relationship with federal agencies that already oversee technology, national security, commerce and law enforcement.

Trump’s administration has so far emphasized cooperation with the private sector rather than imposing a sweeping new federal AI regulatory structure. Tuesday’s voluntary agreement included commitments from leading technology companies to conduct internal controls, risk assessments and outside reviews of their AI systems.

Congress, meanwhile, continues to debate whether voluntary standards are sufficient. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., are preparing bipartisan legislation that would establish civil and criminal liability in certain cases involving AI agents and cyberattacks, highlighting an ongoing debate over how much direct government regulation the technology requires.

For now, Clayton remains the reported frontrunner rather than the confirmed selection.

The next step belongs to Trump.

If the president formally names Clayton, the nation’s top intelligence official could soon take on another assignment — helping coordinate how the federal government confronts one of the fastest-moving technological and national-security challenges facing the country.