“Superintelligence is a national security issue,” Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said Wednesday, dismissing questions about whether or not President Donald Trump would ask him to become the “czar” of AI.
In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Clayton opposed pausing U.S. companies’ development of artificial intelligence models, even as some executives at those same companies have called for slowing development over concerns about the technology’s risks.
And he suggested that federal agencies, such as the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission, are best suited to police AI companies, rather than the civil tort system.
Clayton spoke a day after Trump met with leaders of top technology companies, including AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI, at the White House. President Trump and executives said they agreed the industry would “self-regulate” and take responsibility for the safe development of technology.
Jay Clayton appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his nomination hearing at the Capitol on July 15, 2026, in Washington, DC.
Aaron Schwartz | Getty Images
“Superintelligence is a national security issue, and that’s what everyone there recognized yesterday, not just industry leaders,” Creighton said Wednesday, using the AI terminology now favored by President Trump. “Our commitment to the American people and their safety and security was evident throughout the conference.”
“I don’t even know what a moratorium is, but do we somehow say we shouldn’t let U.S.-regulated companies move forward in the U.S. and somehow get out of this situation and let the rest of the world develop these models and implement these models?” Clayton said.
“I don’t think anyone in the room, and the American people, should think that’s a good strategy,” Clayton said of Trump’s meeting at the White House.
Asked Tuesday about criticism from Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who called President Trump’s proposal for self-regulation of the AI industry a “recipe for disaster,” Clayton said, “My response to the American people in this regard is, we have the Federal Trade Commission, we have the Department of Justice.”
“I know the leaders of both of these organizations, and they are committed to protecting the American people in this regard.”
Clayton twice declined to directly answer whether he would accept the role of AI emperor if President Trump offered him the role. Clayton already oversees 18 elements of the U.S. intelligence community as DNI.
Axios reported this week that President Trump told news outlets that Clayton was the best choice to be AI czar.
