The White House may be close to choosing its first AI czar since the last one left. According to sources briefed on the matter, Jay Clayton is the likely pick. 

He might also keep his current job as director of national intelligence. Clayton is the frontrunner, based on what insiders told CBS News. 

The administration has also discussed letting him do both jobs at once. However, the White House opposed the reporting. 

An official said the president will announce any personnel appointment himself. Until then, the official called the reports baseless speculation.

AI Czar Search

Trump said last month that he planned to name an AI czar. His social media post set a bar: only people with high IQs should apply.

Then came a big meeting. Top AI company leaders visited the White House on Tuesday and signed a set of voluntary safety standards. 

Soon after, Trump told reporters he would name a czar within three or four days. He described his choice as extraordinary.

Jay Clayton

Clayton is a lawyer, and he once served as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan. He also ran the Securities and Exchange Commission for most of Trump’s first term.

The Senate confirmed him as director of national intelligence in July. So he already holds one of the most sensitive jobs in government. Adding AI to his plate would be huge.

Early in Trump’s second term, venture capitalist David Sacks became the White House’s crypto and AI czar. 

He stepped down earlier this year. Even so, he still co-chairs the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

AI Rules

Clayton would step into a heated argument. People disagree on whether the government should regulate AI; they also disagree on how. 

Some tech leaders want a slower, more careful approach.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman both back the idea of pacing the frontier of AI development to manage the risks better.

Some lawmakers want firm legal guardrails, and others in the industry see it differently. Sacks and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang say many of the scary warnings about AI are overblown.

Trump’s Standing

Trump leans toward lighter rules. He often praises the economic upside of AI, which he calls “Super Intelligence.”  

He also worries that a slowdown would hand Chinese AI labs an advantage. As for the bad guys? Trump says federal law enforcement can handle them.

At the summit, Trump met with leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia, and Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI. 

The companies agreed to several layers of internal controls and also outside audits. The idea is to confirm that their AI models work as intended.

Trump called the deal morally binding and compared it to a constitution. He also said he sees a lot of self-policing and believes the companies know they must do it.

Keep in mind, these standards are voluntary. No law forces the companies to follow them.