Justice Department creates specialized task force to police artificial intelligence and curb foreign threats

The US Department of Justice has launched the Super Intelligence Task Force following an October 13 presidential memo directing the agency to safeguard domestic technology. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Associate Deputy Attorney General Stephen Weiss are leading the unit under Attorney General Todd Blanche, partnering with Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton. The group is charged with protecting American developers from foreign state actors, transnational criminal rings, and corporate fraud, while maintaining the nation's competitive lead in the field. [1][2]

The task force will coordinate civil and criminal lawsuits across federal departments and US attorneys' offices. In addition to setting enforcement priorities regarding public safety, it is charged with issuing prosecution guidelines for unlawful conduct and drafting legislative proposals designed to block what officials consider burdensome regulations. Weiss said the department plans to use law enforcement tools to deter improper use and push companies to maintain strict internal controls, while Pentagon CTO and task force vice chair Emil Michael stated that details on the regulatory landscape will arrive later this month. [2]

The launch highlights the administration's aggressive pivot toward the term "super intelligence," which President Donald Trump began pushing in September as an official replacement for "artificial intelligence." While federal portals describe the initiative as a race for technological supremacy, news outlets and industry observers have noted widespread friction over the mandate, which contradicts decades of established tech industry terminology. [1][2]