Key points: U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton stated that "superintelligence is a national security issue," remarks made one day after President Trump met with leading artificial intelligence figures at the White House. Clayton opposed U.S. companies pausing AI model development. Executives at AI giants such as Anthropic and OpenAI have called for slowing the pace of AI development out of concern over technological risks.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said on Wednesday that "superintelligence is a national security issue," while declining to give a direct answer to questions about whether President Trump would appoint him as an AI "coordinator" and whether he himself would accept such a role.

In an interview on the program "Financial Morning Live," Clayton also opposed U.S. companies pausing AI model development. Yet it is precisely some U.S. AI company executives who, out of concern over potential technological risks, have called on the industry to slow its pace. He further proposed that AI companies should be regulated by federal agencies such as the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, rather than relying on the civil tort litigation system.

Clayton's remarks came one day after Trump met at the White House with executives from several leading technology companies, including AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI. After the meeting, Trump said he and the executives had reached a consensus that the AI industry would adopt industry self-regulation, with companies taking responsibility for the safe development of the technology.

On July 15, 2026, at Capitol Hill in Washington, Jay Clayton attended a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing. "Superintelligence is a national security issue. Yesterday, not only industry leaders but everyone present recognized this," Clayton said on Wednesday, referring to "superintelligence," an AI phrase Trump frequently uses. "Throughout the meeting, the emphasis on the responsibility owed to the American people, and on safeguarding the security of the American people, was genuinely evident."

"I can't even figure out what 'pausing development' actually means. But if these regulated companies here in the United States were to stop, wouldn't that just be handing over the development and deployment of these AI models to the rest of the world?" Clayton said. Speaking about the White House meeting, Clayton said, "I think neither the people who were there nor the American public as a whole should feel that this would be a wise strategy."

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren previously criticized Trump's idea of AI industry self-regulation, calling it "the beginning of a disaster." Asked about that criticism, Clayton responded, "To the American people, I want to say, we have the Federal Trade Commission, and we also have the Department of Justice. I know the heads of both agencies, and they are committed to protecting the interests of the American people in this field."

There have been reports that Trump intends to have Clayton serve as AI coordinator. But Clayton twice avoided giving a direct answer as to whether he would accept this additional role if the president granted it to him. Currently, as Director of National Intelligence, Clayton already oversees 18 components of the U.S. intelligence system.