U.S. President Donald Trump is launching a federal "superintelligence," or SI, task force to oversee artificial intelligence policy. The move is intended to create a central coordinating body that treats AI not merely as an industry to be nurtured but as a core strategic asset for national security and the contest for supremacy with China.
Trump unveiled the plan on the 4th in a post on Truth Social, saying SI will be a bigger field than the Industrial Revolution or the internet, and that the task force's mission is to ensure the United States stays ahead in the area.
Trump recently signed an executive order directing that the term "superintelligence" be used in place of AI. The new task force will coordinate policy across the government, covering not only technology development but also industry, national security, consumer protection and critical infrastructure.
Trump said the task force would coordinate cooperation among consumers, public-interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure operators, SI companies and the federal government. That is seen as signaling that Washington intends to manage AI — a field that has advanced under private technology companies — within a broader national policy framework.
Members include Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. They will report on the task force's work directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Notably, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the U.S. intelligence community, will play a central role. Putting the head of an intelligence agency rather than a technology or industrial policy department at the forefront of AI policy indicates the Trump administration views AI as tied not only to a technology race with China and other rivals but also to military, intelligence and cybersecurity competition.
Clayton also warned in a recent Wall Street Journal interview that the risks are large if the United States fails to lead the AI race, and that various threats from hostile states could grow. Foreign media described Clayton as effectively becoming the administration's "AI czar," overseeing its AI policy.
The task force follows an earlier "SI White House accord" joined by major AI companies. At the time, Trump said leading technology firms had affirmed their responsibility to the American people.
As a result, U.S. AI policy is increasingly likely to be reorganized so that technology development and industrial promotion are handled together with countering China, military and intelligence applications, critical infrastructure such as data centers and power supply, consumer protection and corporate regulation, all within a single national strategy framework.
Meanwhile, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk plans to rename the company's AI subsidiary, SpaceX AI, as SpaceX SI.
Musk said on X, formerly Twitter, the same day that there is no more AI, that it is superintelligence, or SI, and that the latter is better. When a user asked whether the AI company's name might be changed to SpaceX SI, he replied that it would be. The remarks are seen as aligning with Trump's push to refer to AI as SI.
