Trump Names Jay Clayton to Lead New AI Task Force Amid Calls for Regulation
US President Donald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to lead a new federal task force on artificial intelligence, coordinating government engagement with consumers, businesses, public interest groups and religious organizations.
Clayton, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, will lead the task force as lawmakers and technology executives debate how to manage the potential risks of AI. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and others have criticized the initiative, arguing that the technology requires meaningful regulation.
Trump Rejects Calls to Slow AI Development
Despite growing concern about AI’s impact on society and humanity, Trump has rejected legislation that would regulate the development of the technology.
Last week, the president and the leaders of major AI companies signed a “morally binding” document holding them accountable for ensuring the safety of their technology.
Trump has also begun referring to AI as “superintelligence.” In a social media post, he said the “superintelligence unit” would coordinate federal engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies.
Who Will Join the AI Task Force?
In addition to Clayton, the task force will include Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and Emile Michael, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering.
Clayton will report directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Trump said the United States is leading China in the AI race and opposes any slowdown in development. “Frankly, whoever wins the AI wins, so I hope it stays that way,” he said.
Trump Rules Out Potential US-China AI Venture
President Xi Jinping recently visited Washington as a state guest. Days later, Trump ruled out a potential US-China joint venture to develop AI.
“If we did that, we would reveal to them many secrets that we have,” Trump said, adding that the information could potentially be exposed to China or others.
Pressure Grows for AI Regulation
The task force announcement comes as pressure grows from technology industry figures, including executives from OpenAI and Anthropic, for stronger regulation of AI.
When Trump first announced the task force in September, Warren said Congress could not address the urgent risks of AI “by just creating another committee or having a long discussion about AI.”
“Let’s actually enact meaningful regulation around AI to protect people,” she added.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk