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The intelligence chief pointed to existing federal agencies as safeguards after Trump backed industry self-policing. He declined to say whether he would take an AI czar role.
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Clayton framed U.S. “super intelligence” development as a national-security imperative, arguing on September 30, 2026, that a domestic pause would cede model development and deployment to foreign competitors. He supported the White House’s reliance on industry self-policing, saying the FTC and DOJ are committed to protecting Americans and suggesting federal oversight is preferable to civil lawsuits—a separate accountability question from slowing development. He did not say whether he would accept an AI-czar role; Axios had reported that Trump viewed him as a good choice.
Clayton spoke a day after Trump met at the White House with technology executives, including leaders of Anthropic and OpenAI.
Senator Elizabeth Warren called Trump’s self-regulation approach “a recipe for disaster” on September 29.
Clayton said he did not know what an AI “pause” would mean and questioned backing away while other countries kept building and deploying models.
The White House’s promise of safe AI development is not translating into support for a pause. In a September 30, 2026, interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton called “super intelligence” a national security issue—and argued that holding back U.S. developers would leave other countries to develop and deploy the models instead.
Clayton spoke a day after President Donald Trump met with technology executives at the White House, including leaders of Anthropic and OpenAI. Trump said the industry would “self-police” and take responsibility for developing its technology safely. Clayton described the meeting’s commitment to Americans’ safety and security as “palpable.”
Clayton questioned the wisdom of backing away from work by companies regulated in the United States while the rest of the world continued building and implementing models.
“I don’t even know what a pause is,” Clayton said before laying out that objection.
Super intelligence is a national security issue, and that was something that was recognized yesterday by not just the industry leaders but everybody in the room
Jay Clayton, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box on September 30, 2026
The interview also put Clayton’s confidence in public protection against a direct political challenge. Asked about Senator Elizabeth Warren’s criticism of Trump’s self-regulation approach, he pointed to the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, had called the president’s suggestion “a recipe for disaster” on September 29.
“I know the leaders of both those organizations, and they’re committed to protecting the American people in this regard,” Clayton said.
Clayton also suggested that federal agencies were better suited to policing AI companies than the civil tort system—the route through which people bring lawsuits seeking compensation for harm. That is a choice about who should hold companies accountable, distinct from the question of whether development should slow.
Clayton was less forthcoming about whether he might become the administration’s AI czar. He twice avoided directly answering whether he would accept that additional role if Trump offered it. CNBC reported that Axios had said Trump told the outlet Clayton would be a good choice for the position.
As intelligence director, Clayton already oversees 18 elements of the U.S. intelligence community.
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