Jay Clayton Tapped as Trump’s AI Czar After SEC and Ripple XRP Era
Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has been appointed as President Trump’s AI czar. Clayton, who left the SEC before it filed a lawsuit against Ripple over the XRP token, will lead a new “Super Intelligence Force.” Over the next 120 days, he will evaluate the risks and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence.
Clayton’s past views on crypto technology have been largely positive. In 2022, he predicted that digital assets would become integral to the global financial infrastructure. The following year, he foresaw the rise of programmable assets and interoperability in the crypto space.
The regulatory landscape for crypto has since evolved, with the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) now classifying several major crypto assets as digital commodities rather than securities. Clayton’s appointment signals a shift in focus toward AI governance, marking a new chapter in his career beyond crypto regulation.