President Donald Trump has announced the creation of a “Super Intelligence Force” (SIF) to coordinate outreach to consumers, interest groups, religious organisations, critical infrastructure operators, and AI companies. The unit will be led by intelligence director Jay Clayton, FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, undersecretary for research Emil Michael, CTO Scott Kupor, and other government officials. It reports directly to the president and chief of staff Susie Wiles. This follows a recent gathering of tech CEOs at the White House where executives signed a “morally binding” contract for independent third-party auditors to verify that AI models are “operating as intended”.
The naming choice highlights a disconnect between political branding and technical reality. In research, superintelligence refers to self-improving systems that vastly surpass human intelligence, a concept distinct from the current capabilities of commercial models. The SIF does not aim to develop these advanced systems but rather to manage public perception and enforce compliance through auditing. The structure suggests a focus on regulatory oversight and stakeholder management rather than technological advancement.
- The term superintelligence in the title is not used in its established technical sense of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI).
- Leadership includes officials from the intelligence community, the Federal Trade Commission, and the White House.
- The initiative relies on a new contract requiring third-party audits of AI model performance.
