Punchbowl Reports FTC Chair Ferguson May Steer Clayton's Super Intelligence Force

Since President Trump named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to chair the Super Intelligence Force on Sunday, Oct. 4, and the task force held its first meeting in mid-October, a question about who is really in charge has surfaced. Punchbowl News reports that Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson may end up leading the group's day-to-day effort.

That is one outlet's reporting, and no one on the record has confirmed it. Trump's own announcement named Clayton as head of the SIF and listed Ferguson as one of three vice chairs.

Who is on the panel

The other vice chairs are Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management. The task force reports directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Wiles are also on the panel. Former AI czar David Sacks and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sit as outside advisers.

Clayton is not leaving his day job. He still runs the 18 intelligence agencies while coordinating federal AI policy. He was sworn in as DNI in August, after serving as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and as SEC chairman during Trump's first term.

Why the Ferguson question matters

The FTC is a consumer protection and competition regulator, not a national security agency. A task force chaired by the spy chief but driven by the FTC chair would be a different animal than the one Trump described in his Truth Social post.

That post said the SIF would "coordinate the Federal Government's engagement with Consumers, Public Interest Groups, Religious Organizations, Critical Infrastructure Providers, and Super Intelligence Companies." The stated goal is to "ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence."

The charter, as described in reporting, calls for plans to address AI-enabled threats. It also tells the group to review how government handles reports of breaches, hacks and jailbreaks, and to improve federal response using existing authorities. It also asks whether AI labs should be legally required to notify the government of security breaches. The same charter tells the group to avoid regulation that suppresses innovation or competition.

AI companies face no new federal compliance requirements because of the task force. Congress has not passed a law broadly regulating AI development or use. Some states, California among them, have enacted transparency measures.

Clayton's stated approach

Clayton told The Wall Street Journal the group has 120 days to assess AI risks and opportunities and recommend a federal role. "The risk of not being first is high," he said. "Not being first increases the identified, and unidentified, risks, particularly from our adversaries."

He has called super intelligence a "national security issue" and rejected calls to pause development, noting that other countries are not pausing. "I don't think any American should think that that's a good strategy," he told CNBC. He has also said he expects AI governance to develop through dialogue, pointing to risk-management models used by the SEC and the Federal Reserve.

Trump has taken the same line on China. "Whoever wins AI, wins," he said, and he ruled out a joint U.S.-China AI venture because it would hand over secrets.

Democrats want law, not a task force

Critics are asking for binding rules. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said: "Congress cannot meet the pressing threat of AI by just forming another committee or continuing to have drawn-out discussions about it." She added: "Let's actually pass some meaningful regulations on AI to protect people."

Rep. Lori Trahan, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN the initiative lacked a durable strategy.

Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, welcomed Clayton's appointment with a caveat. He said "the administration has resisted meaningful safeguards without offering a serious alternative for addressing the national security risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems." Warner said he looks forward to working with Clayton on testing and safeguards so that powerful systems "remain secure, reliable, and under human control."

What to watch

The task force's report to Trump and Wiles is due within 120 days. Neither the White House nor Clayton has said publicly who will draft it or whether the FTC will carry the load. The answer will show whether the SIF's recommendations lean toward national security or consumer-protection enforcement.