Trump expected to name Jay Clayton as AI czar

October 2, 2026 9:54 AM EDT

Jay Clayton, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 15, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

By Erin Banco

WASHINGTON, Oct ‌2 (Reuters) - US ​President ​Donald Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to be his top ‌adviser on AI, a position the president has ⁠called "AI czar" in the past, according to a source familiar with ‌the decision.

Clayton already oversees 18 ‌US intelligence agencies as the nation's top spy and is expected to keep that role.

"Any personnel announcement will ​be announced directly by the president," a White House official said in a statement to Reuters when ⁠asked about Clayton being selected for the position. "Any reporting until then is baseless ​speculation."

Trump's decision to name a new AI czar comes after AI researchers warned that people building ​the technology believe it could kill ‌humans within a decade. Trump last month said he planned to name a new "AI czar" ⁠and create an "AI force," though he gave no details about either initiative or how they would be implemented.

This is the second ⁠time Trump has named an adviser to oversee AI-related decisions across the ​administration. Venture capitalist David Sacks held the AI czar role at the beginning of Trump's second term, before leaving the White House. ‌Sacks still advises Trump on AI and attended a meeting on Tuesday with the president ‌and industry executives.

The news of an AI czar was ⁠first reported by CBS.

(Reporting ‌by Erin Banco in ​Washington; Writing by Courtney Rozen and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Michelle Nichols and Chizu ‌Nomiyama)



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