✓ Verified by 2+ outlets
DOJ creates a Super Intelligence Task Force to police AI misuse by foreign actors, crime groups and fraudsters
Summary
The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday it has formed a Super Intelligence Task Force to defend against illicit uses of artificial intelligence that threaten U.S. interests, CoinDesk and Decrypt reported, adopting the Trump administration's "super intelligence" or SI label for AI.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the effort will "ensure critical SI technologies serve the American people and are not manipulated by bad actors at home or abroad," and that DOJ will keep prosecuting people whose SI use violates the law, including attacks on taxpayers, critical infrastructure or national security, both outlets reported.
Decrypt said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Associate Deputy Attorney General Stephen Weiss will lead the task force, which will work alongside the existing SI Force chaired by Jay Clayton; CoinDesk likewise described the new unit as complementing Clayton's SI Force.
Beyond prosecutions, Weiss said DOJ has a responsibility to harden reporting on SI risk and ensure companies keep "vigorous internal controls so that SI technology behaves as intended," Decrypt reported; CoinDesk similarly said authorities will monitor whether businesses using AI maintain proper controls.
CoinDesk noted the administration has amplified AI focus as active crypto-policy work has seemingly waned, with the office that once helped shepherd crypto legislation vacant and Clayton's AI role no longer carrying a crypto remit.
Key facts
- Decrypt said the task force targets state-sponsored actors, transnational criminal organizations, and individual or corporate fraud, joining a wider federal AI push that includes the SEC's 2027 "super intelligence" exam priorities and an OCC AI framework for banks.
- DOJ did not specify a timeline or how the task force would coordinate with other agencies, saying only that its work would "promote innovation and prevent the misuse" of the technology, Decrypt reported.
- Blanche: "The Department of Justice will continue 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."