U.S. Justice Department forms AI threat task force to protect national interests

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Justice Dept forms AI task force

Highlights

The U.S. Department of Justice launched the Super Intelligence Task Force to defend against unlawful uses of AI, aligning with President Trump's directive to label AI as 'super intelligence.'
Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the task force will target state-sponsored actors, transnational crime, and mandate strict internal controls for companies deploying AI technologies.
The Trump administration is prioritizing AI governance over crypto policy, indicated by vacancies in crypto-related government offices and expanded AI oversight roles for senior officials.

Mandate for new AI enforcement unit

As reported by CoinDesk, the U.S. Department of Justice says it has formed the Super Intelligence Task Force to defend against unlawful uses of artificial intelligence, following President Donald Trump's directive that the federal government refer to AI as "super intelligence," or SI. The new group complements the existing SI Force led by Jay Clayton and is intended to help protect critical technologies from misuse.

Attorney General Todd Blanche says the effort will ensure that critical SI technologies serve the American people and are not manipulated by bad actors in the U.S. or abroad. In a statement, Blanche says the department will continue identifying and prosecuting individuals whose use of SI violates the law, including conduct that maliciously targets American taxpayers, critical U.S. infrastructure or other elements of national security.

Federal authorities say the task force will guard against state-sponsored actors, transnational criminal organizations, and individual or corporate actors engaged in fraud or other unlawful conduct. The department also says it will press companies using AI technology to maintain vigorous internal controls so the systems behave as intended.

Broader policy shift across Washington

The move adds to a wider Trump administration push to elevate AI policy within the federal government. The administration is increasing attention on AI at a time when its active work on crypto policy appears to be fading.

The office that previously helped guide crypto legislation in Congress has become vacant, while the AI czar role now held by Clayton no longer includes the crypto responsibilities that were once attached to it. That shift suggests AI oversight and national security risks are taking priority in the administration's current technology agenda.

ByteDance’s Seed research unit launched an Alignment & Preparedness team to strengthen AI safety, including automated vulnerability testing, model-behavior monitoring, and preparations for emerging risks. Our earlier coverage noted the company is recruiting researchers in China and the U.S. and allocating computing and research resources to safety work at a level comparable to frontier-model development, reflecting rising scrutiny of autonomous AI systems and the push for stronger guardrails.

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