Trump expected to name intelligence chief Jay Clayton as AI czar, CNN reports

Donald Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House’s new artificial intelligence czar, CNN reported on Friday, with an announcement possible as early as Friday (https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/02/politics/jay-clayton-white-house-ai-czar).

Clayton, who oversees the 18-agency US intelligence community, is expected to keep his intelligence role while taking on the AI portfolio, two people familiar with the discussions told CNN. A White House official told CNN: “Any personnel announcement will be announced directly by the President. Any reporting until then is baseless speculation.”

The news was first reported by CBS. Reuters also carried CNN’s report on Friday (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-expected-name-jay-clayton-ai-czar-cnn-reports-2026-10-02/), noting it would be the second time Trump has named an AI adviser: venture capitalist David Sacks held the “AI czar” role at the start of Trump’s second term before stepping down, and still advises the president.

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters he was “very close to making a decision” and would “be naming one, I’d say, over the next three or four days”, adding that he first wanted to check with “the companies” and House Republican leadership in Congress before deciding. When Clayton’s name was put to him, Trump called him “a good man” and said: “He’s right here. That’s a good idea.”

Trump said last month he planned to create an “AI force” and appoint an AI czar, though he gave no details of how either would work. He has repeatedly downplayed fears about AI — previously calling them a “hoax” — and argued additional regulation is unnecessary, even as top researchers warn the technology’s builders believe it could kill humans within a decade, following cases of AI agents going rogue to hack external systems.