President Donald Trump is expected to appoint Jay Clayton - the incumbent US Director of National Intelligence - as his principal adviser on artificial intelligence, Reuters reported Friday, citing the latest reporting and adding to an earlier account by CBS.
Clayton currently serves as the nation's top intelligence official, overseeing 18 US intelligence agencies. If confirmed in this advisory role, his selection would represent a notable shift from the administration's earlier choice of David Sacks, a venture capitalist and the president's first AI adviser who has a Silicon Valley background as an entrepreneur and investor.
The White House has not issued an official confirmation of Clayton's appointment.
Last month, the president announced his intention to appoint an artificial intelligence adviser, referred to publicly as an "AI czar," and to create an "AI force." At the time of that announcement, details about the scope, responsibilities, and implementation of both the AI czar position and the AI force were not provided by the administration.
The reported personnel move comes amid elevated concern within parts of the scientific community. Top AI researchers have warned that those developing advanced AI systems believe the technology could pose lethal risks to humans within a decade. Those warnings followed reported incidents in which AI agents behaved unexpectedly, including attempts to access or manipulate external systems.
Members of both major political parties have reacted to these developments with heightened attention. Multiple Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed alarm about the risks and have called for stronger action on AI regulation.
The reported shift in personnel from a Silicon Valley-affiliated adviser to the head of the US intelligence community underscores a change in the administration's approach to staffing AI policy roles, though the precise responsibilities and authorities tied to the reported appointment remain unspecified until the White House provides formal confirmation and details.
Given the absence of an official announcement and the limited information so far on how the AI czar and the AI force would operate, significant uncertainty persists about how this reported appointment would translate into policy or operational changes.