Announcing the appointment, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Following the Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence, where the World's most important Technology Companies came together, and confirmed their responsibilities to the American People, I am announcing the formation of the Super Intelligence Force (SIF).”

Defending the push to expand US leadership in AI despite growing concerns over its potential risks, Trump said the Super Intelligence Force would coordinate the federal government's efforts to ensure that the United States “continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence”.

He described the technology as potentially more significant than the Industrial Revolution and the internet, saying the initiative would “protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans.”

Trump said the force would coordinate the federal government's engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organisations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies.

The force will be led by Clayton, along with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor.

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

Last month, Trump announced plans to establish an “AI Force” and appoint an artificial intelligence “czar” as debate intensifies over AI regulation and the pace of technological development.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said the proposed AI Force would be modelled on the Space Force, which was established during his first term in office.

Trump has repeatedly rejected calls for a significant slowdown in AI development.

His comments came amid calls from prominent AI executives for greater caution over the pace of technological advancement. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently argued that the industry should slow the development of AI capabilities to give safety measures time to keep pace. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI chief Elon Musk subsequently expressed support for aspects of Amodei’s call for greater caution.