Trump pushes Super Intelligence Force as America doubles down on AI supremacy over China

US President Donald Trump with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (L) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (R) during a meeting with technology executives about artificial intelligence September 29, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Monday, 05 Oct 2026 10:27 AM MYT

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 — United States (US) President Donald Trump has announced the creation of a new “Super Intelligence Force” to coordinate the federal government’s efforts on artificial intelligence (AI), reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton is among those tapped to lead the initiative.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that the new body, known as the SIF, would be tasked with ensuring that the US “continues to lead the world in super intelligence”.

The president announced plans for an “AI Force” last month but has since sought to promote the term “super intelligence” instead of the more commonly used “artificial intelligence”.

Alongside Clayton, Trump named Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor as leaders of the new group.

The SIF will coordinate the government’s engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organisations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies, according to Trump.

It will report to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Trump has strongly opposed efforts to slow the development of artificial intelligence, arguing that the US is ahead of China in the technology and must maintain that lead.

His push comes as warnings about the potential risks of AI have intensified following hacking attacks carried out by autonomous AI agents.

Some industry insiders have recently sounded the alarm, warning that artificial intelligence could potentially cause large numbers of deaths if the technology were to spiral out of control.

The Trump administration has dismissed such warnings as alarmist and favours industry self-regulation.

Clayton, who oversees US intelligence agencies as director of national intelligence, said at a meeting between Trump and AI industry leaders last week that maintaining US leadership in artificial intelligence was the top priority for national security. — Bernama-dpa