President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the formation of a ‘Super Intelligence Force (SIF)’ to keep the United States (US) ahead in the artificial intelligence (AI) race. This comes days after he after the US could lose to China if it tries to slow down its AI development, downplaying the critics and describing them as ‘negative forces’.
The 80-year-old Republican leader who is in his second term as the US President said the SIF would be headed by National Intelligence (NI) chief Jay Clayton, and would include Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairperson Andrew Ferguson and Emil Michael, who is the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering of the US.
Scott Kupor, Director of the US Office of Personnel Management, will also be a member of the team that would directly report to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
SIF’s role and more
The SIF, Trump said, will coordinate with the federal government’s engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organisations, critical infrastructure providers, and super intelligence companies to keep the US ahead in the AI race and “protect American interests”.
“The Super Intelligence Force is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence, which many say is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet, and will protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Clayton’s appointment and Trump’s warning against China
Trump had last month announced the formation of the AI force similar to the Space Force. Further, Clayton’s appointment shows the trust of Trump he enjoys, as he had previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Republican leader’s first term. Later, he was made the lead of federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
Trump has been against slowing down the development of AI and argued that it could provide China an advantage. On Saturday, Clayton reiterated this and said Trump has insisted the new task force ensure US primacy in the AI field, amid stiff competition from China.
“The risk of not being first is high,” Clayton told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). “Not being first increases the identified, and unidentified, risks, particularly from our adversaries. Being first will better enable us to address those risks on behalf of the American people.”
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