Trump Taps Jay Clayton, the SEC Chair Who Sued Ripple, to Lead AI Push

President Trump on Sunday unveiled a new federal body he called the "Super Intelligence Force," aimed at coordinating the government's approach to artificial intelligence. In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump listed Jay Clayton first among the group's leaders; media reports have identified Clayton as the administration's new AI czar. The task force is intended to engage with a range of stakeholders including consumers, public-interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies.

Trump said the force will report directly to him and to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Other officials named to the group include Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. The announcement followed what Trump described as a "Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence," after a recent White House meeting with leaders of major tech firms.

Clayton is a familiar figure from the crypto regulatory wars. While serving as SEC chair during Trump's first term, he pursued an enforcement-driven approach to digital assets and initiated 57 cases targeting crypto firms, initial coin offerings and other blockchain projects. One of his final acts at the SEC in December 2020 was filing suit against Ripple, alleging $1.3 billion in unregistered sales of XRP — a case that influenced later SEC actions under Gary Gensler.

Since leaving the SEC, Clayton has had continued involvement with the crypto industry as an adviser to One River Asset Management and a member of the advisory board at Fireblocks. In 2025, Trump appointed him interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where his office moved forward with the prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm. The president's post did not specify a mandate or timeline for the Super Intelligence Force.