DoJ's 'Super Intelligence Task Force' up and running

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) says its Super Intelligence Task Force (SINTF) is now up and running, after president Donald Trump ordered the move in a memo last month.

Headed up by director of national intelligence Jay Clayton, as well as associate attorney general Stanley Woodward and associate deputy attorney general Stephen Weiss, SINTF's responsibility is to protect the US's lead in artificial intelligence development.

Thursday's announcement, which was littered with the "super intelligence" Trumpism, said the task force will ensure the US's SI/AI leadership remains uncompromised by foreign AI "abuse," including by state and state-backed groups, criminal enterprises, individuals, or corporate entities.

Per Trump's October 13 memo [PDF], SITF will take "affirmative measures, as appropriate," to ensure the US stays ahead in AI development. It did not elaborate on what this nebulous phrase meant, but it can be reasonably assumed this means a breadth of proactive steps.

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 to prevent "burdensome regulation."

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.

The task force will also shoulder various cross-departmental responsibilities, such as "deconflicting investigations, cases, and other matters" among departments and the offices of US attorneys.

According to quotes from senior officials, chief among the concerns facing ordinary US citizens are AI attacks that target individuals, as well as those that aim to disrupt critical infrastructure and other national security interests.

"The creation of the DOJ-SITF marks an important moment for the Department to help advance SI technologies and, at the same time, protect American innovation," said Weiss.

"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. The Department is committed to protecting all Americans and our business interests."

Trump compelled the US to start using the term "super intelligence" in September, claiming "artificial intelligence," the widely used and original term coined in the mid-1950s, was a better descriptor for the technology's capabilities.

The US government's dedicated website for SI states that "America is in a race for Super Intelligence. We intend to win it."

It also highlights a number of initiatives the government has taken to promote its AI supremacy, including legal guidance to streamline federal approvals, leading to more data centers being built.

The pivot toward renaming the technology in all official capacities raised confusion at the time.

A somewhat contradictory move, the Trump administration heavily promotes its own AI innovators, but in one swoop essentially antiquated the trading name of arguably its most recognizable AI lab, OpenAI.

One financier previously floated the idea that Trump ordered the shift to boost the value of .si domain names, many of which have recently been registered using MAGA-related terms and resold for millions of dollars. There is no categorical evidence that the investments are linked to the Trump family, however. ®