Jay Clayton Calls 'Super Intelligence' a National Security Issue, Opposes Pausing AI Development
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton emphasized that "super intelligence" poses a national security issue during an interview with CNBC's Squawk Box. His comments followed President Donald Trump’s meeting at the White House with leaders from major AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI. While some industry executives have called for slowing down AI development due to safety concerns, Clayton argued against halting progress by U.S. firms. Clayton also stated that federal agencies such as the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are better positioned than civil courts to regulate AI companies. He avoided answering whether he would accept a new role as Trump's "AI czar," though Axios reported earlier in the week that Trump had suggested Clayton for the position. Clayton defended the administration’s approach, which includes self-regulation by industry leaders and collaboration with federal agencies rather than imposing external pauses on AI development.
Topics: AI Development Government Regulation National Security