The US Justice Department said its Super Intelligence Task Force is now up and running, weeks after President Donald Trump ordered its creation, and will police misuse of advanced AI while trying to protect America's lead in the technology.
Trump's October 13 memo directed the task force to take "affirmative measures, as appropriate" to keep the United States ahead in AI development, according to The Register. The task force will organise the department's criminal and civil lawsuits involving AI, recommend enforcement priorities on public safety and AI misuse, develop prosecution guidance for unlawful AI conduct and feed into legislative proposals aimed at avoiding heavy regulation.
Reports differ on who heads the body. The Register says it is headed by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton alongside Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Associate Deputy Attorney General Stephen Weiss. Decrypt reports it is led by Woodward and Weiss. Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael, who serves as vice chair, said at a Wall Street Journal tech conference this week that the team would release details about its AI regulatory landscape later this month.
The task force will also coordinate investigations across departments and US attorneys' offices. Its stated mission is to protect American leadership in "super intelligence" from foreign governments and their proxies, transnational criminal organizations and companies or individuals using AI to commit fraud or other crimes.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that SI development will continue to be powered by American innovators and that the task force would keep critical AI technologies from being "manipulated by bad actors at home or abroad." The department would keep "identifying and prosecuting individuals whose use of SI violates the law, including by maliciously targeting American taxpayers, critical U.S. infrastructure, or other aspects of our national security," he said.
Weiss said the department has a responsibility to use law enforcement tools to deter improper use of SI, harden regular reporting on SI risk and response, and ensure companies exercise vigorous internal controls so that SI technology behaves as intended. The effort signals the Justice Department wants AI developers to tighten safeguards against models behaving unpredictably.
The announcement is part of a widening federal push on AI risk, including the Securities and Exchange Commission's 2027 examination priorities covering “super intelligence” and a new banking-regulator framework, Decrypt reported. Trump compelled the US to start using “super intelligence” in September, and its dedicated website says “America is in a race for Super Intelligence. We intend to win it.”
JUST IN: DOJ launches “Super Intelligence Task Force” to combat criminal misuse of advanced SI by foreign governments, criminal organizations, & corporations.
The task force will decide how the Justice Department prosecutes misuse of advanced AI by foreign states, criminal groups and fraudsters.
It asks AI developers to strengthen internal controls and risk reporting, which could shape how companies build and release models.
It adds to a broader federal regulatory push as agencies including the SEC and banking regulators set their own AI priorities.
Background
"Super intelligence" commonly refers to a hypothetical AI that surpasses human capability across the board. The Trump administration adopted the term for official use in September, and Trump ordered the task force's creation in an October 13 memo. The task force is one of several federal initiatives intended to keep the United States ahead in AI while setting rules for its use.
Key Perspectives
Attorney General Todd Blanche: says American innovators will power super intelligence development and the department will prosecute unlawful SI use targeting taxpayers, critical infrastructure or national security.
Associate Deputy Attorney General Stephen Weiss: says the department has a responsibility to deter improper use of SI, harden reporting on risk and response, and ensure companies exercise internal controls so SI behaves as intended.
Pentagon CTO and task force vice chair Emil Michael: says details of the AI regulatory landscape will be released later this month.
What to Watch
The task force's expected release of its AI regulatory landscape later this month.
Whether formal prosecution guidance emerges and how it defines unlawful AI conduct.
How AI companies respond to calls for tighter internal controls and risk reporting.
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 12 supported.
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SupportedThe Justice Department said its Super Intelligence Task Force is now operational.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The US Department of Justice (DoJ) says its Super Intelligence Task Force (SINTF) is now up and running”
SupportedTrump ordered the task force’s creation last month, weeks before the Justice Department announcement.www.theregister.com - Articles: “after president Donald Trump ordered the move in a memo last month”
SupportedThe task force will protect the US lead in AI while addressing AI misuse.www.theregister.com - Articles: “SINTF's responsibility is to protect the US's lead in artificial intelligence development.”
SupportedThe Register says the task force is headed by Jay Clayton, Stanley Woodward and Stephen Weiss, while Decrypt says it is led by Woodward and Weiss.
SupportedTrump’s October 13 memo directed the task force to take “affirmative measures, as appropriate” to keep the US ahead in AI development.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Per Trump's October 13 memo [PDF], SITF will take "affirmative measures, as appropriate," to ensure the US stays ahead in AI development.”
SupportedThe memo says the task force will organise AI-related lawsuits, recommend enforcement priorities, develop prosecution guidance and contribute to legislative proposals.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The memo also stated that the task force will organize the DoJ's criminal and civil lawsuits involving AI, recommend enforcement priorities concerning public safety and AI misuse, develop prosecution guidance for unlawful AI conduct, and feed into legislative proposals”
SupportedEmil Michael, identified as Pentagon CTO and task-force vice chair, said at a Wall Street Journal tech conference this week that the team would release AI regulatory-landscape details later this month.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Addressing a Wall Street Journal tech conference this week, Pentagon CTO and SITF vice chair Emil Michael said the team would release details about its AI regulatory landscape later this month.”
SupportedThe task force’s stated mission includes protecting US “super intelligence” leadership from foreign governments and proxies, transnational criminal organisations, and companies or individuals using AI for fraud or other crimes.Decrypt: “Its stated mission is to make sure American leadership in “super intelligence” isn’t compromised by bad actors, whether foreign governments and their proxies, transnational criminal organizations, or companies and individuals using AI to commit fraud or other crimes.”
SupportedBlanche said SI development would continue to be powered by American innovators and that the task force would keep critical AI technologies from being “manipulated by bad actors at home or abroad.”Decrypt: ““SI development will continue to be powered by American innovators,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement, adding that the task force would work alongside to keep critical AI technologies from being “manipulated by bad actors at home or abroad.””
SupportedBlanche said the department would keep “identifying and prosecuting individuals whose use of SI violates the law,” including people targeting taxpayers, critical infrastructure or national security.Decrypt: “Blanche said the DOJ would keep “identifying and prosecuting individuals whose use of SI violates the law, including by maliciously targeting American taxpayers, critical U.S. infrastructure, or other aspects of our national security.””
SupportedWeiss said the department has a responsibility to use law-enforcement tools to deter improper SI use, harden regular risk reporting and ensure companies exercise vigorous internal controls.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The Department also has a responsibility to utilize law enforcement tools at our disposal to deter improper use of SI, harden regular reporting on SI risk and response, and ensure companies exercise vigorous internal controls so that SI technology behaves as intended.”
SupportedThe announcement is part of a widening federal AI-risk push that includes SEC 2027 examination priorities covering “super intelligence” and a new banking-regulator framework.Decrypt: “It joins a widening federal AI push, from the SEC’s 2027 “super intelligence” exam priorities to a new banking-regulator AI framework.”
