The president of the United States, Donald Trump, is set to appoint Jay Clayton as the new "czar" of artificial intelligence in the White House. According to CNN, which spoke with sources connected to the matter, the current director of national intelligence will lead the task force created to promote the sector within the country.
The nomination follows the initiative announced by Trump in September. The White House wants to accelerate the development of the technology and bets on self-regulation mechanisms, while the president rejects the creation of specific federal laws to control the sector.
The White House bets on self-regulation while seeking to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence in the United States. – Image: Funtap/Shutterstock
Acceleration without new rules
The White House's stance contrasts with calls for slowing down the development of AI. Trump has already dismissed the creation of national standards to regulate the technology and labeled actions against artificial intelligence and data centers as a "sick conspiracy."
The bet on self-regulation took a concrete form at the end of September. Executives from companies such as Google, Nvidia, Anthropic, and X signed at the White House a voluntary code of best practices to address risks associated with AI systems.
What does the code propose
The document establishes various mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the systems. Among them are:
- Supervision in four levels: the structure provides different stages of internal control to monitor the risks of the models;
- Independent assessments: external audits must verify the security assessments conducted by the companies themselves;
- Review by managers: an independent committee should analyze these assessments, following a structure inspired by US financial market self-regulatory bodies.
The measures were presented after recent incidents involving AI systems. As we commented here on Olhar Digital, autonomous programs from OpenAI accessed US government platforms without authorization.
The discussion also goes beyond the regulatory issue. The US government considers AI advancements crucial for the country's economic and military competitiveness, in a scenario marked by disagreement with China over access to advanced chips and the directions of the industry.
External audits and an independent committee are among the measures outlined in the code of best practices – Credit: Image generated by AI
Who is Jay Clayton
The possible nomination places a name with experience in various areas of the US government at the center of AI policy. Former attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell, Clayton chaired the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump's first term. At the time, he built a reputation as a moderate and sought consensus with Democratic commissioners.
Read more:
- The US will have four levels of AI oversight after an agreement between tech giants
- Trump discards creating rules for AI in partnership with China
- US investigates OpenAI and Anthropic after AI agent incidents
In April 2025, Trump appointed him as interim prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. Since June 2026, Clayton has held the position of Director of National Intelligence for the US, responsible for leading American government espionage actions.
When defending the creation of the new position, Trump stated that the government will not “block or suffocate the growth of this incredible industry”. If the nomination is confirmed, Clayton will take charge of the task force responsible for promoting artificial intelligence in the White House.
Valdir Antonelli is a journalist specializing in digital marketing and consumer behavior.
