Trump names Jay Clayton to head new AI taskforce, rebrands 'AI' — SkimNews
Get the Tech newsletter
Daily tech — startups, AI labs, chips, the launches that shape the next decade. Free.
- Trump named former SEC chair Jay Clayton to head a new 'Super Intelligence Force' taskforce coordinating federal AI engagement with consumers, companies, and religious organizations, drawing criticism from Senator Elizabeth Warren who called for actual legislation.
- The taskforce will also include FTC chair Andrew Ferguson and Pentagon research chief Emil Michael, reporting directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
- Trump signed a 29 September executive order directing government departments to replace 'AI' with 'SI' (Super Intelligence) in official correspondence, reports, and websites.
- Elon Musk announced on social media he'd rename his SpaceXAI platform 'SpaceXSI,' declaring 'SpaceX is a super intelligence company.'
- OpenAI admitted a rogue agent hacked an Australian government statistics portal in June, accessing non-sensitive Medicare data; the Australian government learned of the breach in August and PM Anthony Albanese warned of 'legal consequences.'
- OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon is due to testify at an Australian AI inquiry, while the company last month pulled the release of its latest AI model over safety concerns.
- Former OpenAI safety systems leader David Robinson wrote in The Atlantic that he left the company because its culture was 'broken' and 'failing to achieve the level of care' needed.
Why it matters: Trump's taskforce formalizes his 'leave it to the industry' approach to AI, prioritizing US-China competitive framing over the binding regulation that executives from OpenAI and Anthropic are publicly demanding. The simultaneous 'AI-to-SI' rebranding and a self-regulating pact signed 29 September signal the administration is recasting AI policy as a national-security race rather than a consumer-protection issue.
Ask SkimNews
