Trump Names Jay Clayton to Lead Super Intelligence Force as Executive Order Replaces 'AI' in Federal Documents
Trump formed a Super Intelligence Force chaired by DNI Jay Clayton with a 120-day reporting window, days after an order renaming AI in executive-branch documents.
Overview
President Donald Trump has formed a “Super Intelligence Force” led by National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton, according to TechCrunch, with a charter that includes a 120-day reporting window. The announcement follows a September 29 executive order that directs federal agencies to say “Super Intelligence” instead of “Artificial Intelligence,” and it comes after an earlier announcement in which Trump said he would form an “AI Force.”
What We Know
The task force. Trump announced the group in a Sunday post on Truth Social, per TechCrunch. Clayton chairs it, with Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor serving as vice chairs, according to the same report. NBC News reports that the task force will report to Trump and to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and that venture capitalist David Sacks had been AI czar before he had to step down when his term as a special government employee expired.
The mission. TechCrunch quotes the announcement as saying the force “is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence.” NBC News quotes Trump as saying the force “will coordinate the Federal Government’s engagement with Consumers, Public Interest Groups, Religious Organizations, Critical Infrastructure Providers, and Super Intelligence Companies.” TechCrunch reports that the charter calls for plans to respond to SI-enabled threats while “preventing overregulation and regulatory capture that would stifle innovation,” and that the task force will reportedly have 120 days to produce a report on the risks and opportunities presented by AI.
The link to the industry accord. Trump’s post opened by invoking the “Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence,” according to NBC News. The Machine Herald previously reported on that voluntary accord.
What the Executive Order Does
The order, titled “Inaugurating The Era Of Super Intelligence” and dated September 29, 2026, is published on the White House website. It states that the executive branch shall use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI,” to the maximum extent permitted by law. Under Section 2, agencies apply the change to “official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory documents within the executive branch.”
Several provisions limit its reach, according to the order’s text:
- It says nothing in the section “requires the alteration of previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents.”
- It defines “Super Intelligence” and “SI” as the technologies and systems encompassed by the term “artificial intelligence” as defined in section 9401(3) of title 15, United States Code, so the statutory definition continues to govern.
- It directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to submit proposed legislative language for a Federal definition of “Super Intelligence” within 60 days.
- It states that it does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, “enforceable at law or in equity.”
What We Don’t Know
- The sources reviewed do not describe whether the task force can issue binding rules, direct agency spending, or compel participation from companies. TechCrunch describes its function as coordination.
- Reports differ on Michael’s title: TechCrunch gives “Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering,” while NBC News says “Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.”
- TechCrunch says the 120-day deadline was “reportedly” set, and the sources reviewed do not publish the full charter.
- It is not yet known what the proposed statutory definition of “Super Intelligence” will contain, or whether it would differ from the existing definition of artificial intelligence in federal law.
Analysis
For software developers and vendors that sell to the federal government, the order’s practical effect is on vocabulary in agency-produced documents. Its own text excludes previously issued regulations and contracts and keeps the existing statutory definition in force, so compliance obligations tied to “artificial intelligence” in current law are not rewritten by the order. The more consequential items are the 60-day legislative proposal and the 120-day task-force report, which are the points at which substantive policy, rather than naming, could emerge.