Two people familiar with the matter said U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to appoint current Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House's new AI chief, with an announcement possible as early as Friday local time. According to Odaily, a White House official said any personnel appointment will be announced directly by Trump and that reports before a formal announcement are "groundless speculation."

Clayton is expected to remain in his current role as director of national intelligence. He previously served as Securities and Exchange Commission chair and led the SEC for much of Trump's first term. Trump announced last month that he planned to create an "AI Force" and appoint an AI chief to address regulatory discussions around the rapid development of AI, and he previously told Axios that Clayton was the right person for the job.