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White House focus turns to the AI czar role

Reports that Jay Clayton is expected to be named AI czar have renewed expectations around U.S. artificial intelligence policy. CNN and other outlets reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources, that Clayton had emerged as the leading candidate for the job. The White House has not made an official announcement so far.

CBS News was among the first outlets to report that Clayton was the strongest contender for the role. However, a White House official described the reports as speculation, saying any possible announcement would come directly from President Donald Trump.

Speed and flexibility stand out in Trump’s AI plan

Donald Trump previously said in a Truth Social post that he wanted to manage the fast-growing AI sector without adding extra regulations that would slow innovation. According to an earlier Cointelegraph report, Trump was planning to create an “AI Force” modeled on the Space Force and appoint an AI czar to lead it.

The approach comes at a time when public warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence are growing. Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei proposed a three-stage plan arguing that unchecked development could outpace people’s ability to understand and oversee these systems. The company later said it had selected Accenture as an embedded evaluator under the first step of that plan.

Latest White House outreach to industry

On Tuesday, Trump hosted executives from artificial intelligence and technology companies at the White House and had them sign a pledge to self-police their models and development processes. While OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk supported Amodei’s call for a slowdown, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang argued that no additional regulation was needed.

Clayton’s background and crypto links

According to sources, Clayton is also expected to continue serving as Director of National Intelligence if he takes the new post. The U.S. Senate confirmed Clayton to lead the intelligence community in July.

  • He served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump’s first term.
  • He also served as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

At his Senate confirmation hearing, Clayton described artificial intelligence as both an opportunity and a threat.

“A game changer.”

David Sacks’ special role as White House crypto and AI czar, which had helped coordinate earlier technology-related efforts, ended in March after 130 days. U.S. rules allow special government employees to serve no more than 130 days in a 12-month period, underscoring Washington’s search for a lasting institutional structure for AI and crypto policy.

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