President Trump will give Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, an additional position focused on helping develop the administration’s policies and regulations on artificial intelligence, according to current and former officials.
Mr. Trump said last month that he would create an “AI ‘Czar’” as concerns grow about his administration’s approach to the technology.
Amid broad political and public backlash against artificial intelligence, the administration is under pressure to develop new regulations or safety standards for the industry.
But Mr. Trump has expressed skepticism of government regulations or any notion that A.I. research labs should slow down the development of new models.
Two of the leading A.I. companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, have taken steps to slow the release and development of new models of their technology. Those moves came after disclosures that advanced versions of the technology had evaded security protocols to hack into websites and gain access to information without authorization.
Mr. Clayton was confirmed in July as the director of national intelligence after serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, recommended Mr. Clayton for both positions in the Trump administration, according to people briefed on the discussions, speaking on the condition of anonymity before the formal announcement.
It is not clear precisely what role the A.I. czar would have, including whether reviewing new models or developing safety standards will be part of the mandate.
Mr. Clayton attended a White House lunch this week with Mr. Trump and leading officials from the A.I. companies.
A White House official declined to comment, saying the reports were speculation until Mr. Trump made an announcement. A spokesperson for Mr. Clayton did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Clayton’s appointment was earlier reported by CNN and CBS News. Mr. Trump told Axios that Mr. Clayton was a good choice for the job.
Senior officials in the Trump administration have frequently been given multiple roles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for example, also serves as the national security adviser.
Mr. Trump has not said what he wanted in an A.I. czar, though he did say that “Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!”
“AI is the next Industrial Revolution, or Internet, but will be even larger and more impactful, possibly as much as 25% of our Country’s GDP,” Mr. Trump wrote in the post. “We are leading China, and the rest of the World, and I intend to keep it that way!”
In that same post, Mr. Trump wrote that he intended to create an A.I. Force, which he likened to Space Force, the branch of the military established in the first Trump administration.
Neither Mr. Trump nor administration officials have clarified what he meant by the A.I. Force, and so it is also not clear if Mr. Clayton will help develop such an organization.
Congress is expected to weigh some sort of legislation creating safety regulations for artificial intelligence companies in its post-election session. But it is unclear whether there will be agreement on what that should look like or if there is political will to pass any sort of measure.
The post Trump to Name Jay Clayton to Serve as A.I. Czar appeared first on New York Times.
