Who Is Jay Clayton and What Is the Super Intelligence Force? Trump's New AI Body, Its Members and What It Will Do
On 4 October President Trump named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to lead a new Super Intelligence Force reporting directly to him, alongside FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, OPM director Scott Kupor and Emil Michael of the Department of War. Clayton is the former SEC chair who sued Ripple in 2020, which is why crypto is watching too. What the body is for and what it is not.
Union Station to the US Capitol Building copy. Photo: The Traveling Triplet via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
A week that began with AI executives signing a safety accord ended with the government naming the person who will hold them to it. On Sunday 4 October President Trump announced on Truth Social that Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence, will lead a new Super Intelligence Force. The appointment is trending for two reasons: what the body might do, and who Clayton used to be.
Who Jay Clayton is
Jay Clayton is a Wall Street lawyer who chaired the US Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017 to 2020. In his final weeks at the SEC in December 2020 the agency sued Ripple Labs, alleging that XRP was an unregistered security, a case that ran for years and shaped US crypto regulation. He later served as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and, in this administration, as Director of National Intelligence. He now adds the Super Intelligence Force to that role.
What the Force is
The announcement describes it as a body to coordinate the federal government's effort to ensure that America continues to lead the world in Super Intelligence, the term an executive order this week adopted for AI. It reports directly to the President.
Its members, besides Clayton:
- Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, which handles competition and consumer protection.
- Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, which runs the federal workforce.
- Emil Michael, under secretary for research and engineering and chief technology officer at the Department of War.
That mix, intelligence, competition, workforce and defence research, says a lot about what the government thinks AI policy is: a national security and industrial question as much as a consumer one.
What it is not
The Force has no announced budget, no statutory authority and no rule-making power of its own. Its leverage comes from the agencies its members already run and from the voluntary accord companies signed. Congress has not passed AI legislation, and the Force does not change that.
Why crypto is paying attention
Clayton's SEC record makes him a known quantity to the crypto industry, and not a popular one. His new role is about AI, not digital assets, but the overlap in Washington's attention is real: the SEC proposed crypto custody rules on 1 October, the same week the Force was created. Market commentary has treated the appointment as a reminder that the administration's technology policy runs through a small group of officials.
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the Super Intelligence Force?
Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence.
Who else is on it?
Andrew Ferguson of the FTC, Scott Kupor of OPM and Emil Michael of the Department of War.
What does the Super Intelligence Force do?
Coordinates federal AI policy to keep the US in the lead, reporting directly to the President. It has no announced regulatory powers of its own.
Why is Jay Clayton linked to Ripple?
As SEC chair he authorised the 2020 lawsuit alleging XRP was an unregistered security.
Is this the same as the White House accord?
No. The accord is a voluntary pledge by six companies; the Force is a government coordinating body created the same week.
