Jay Clayton Urges U.S. Firms and Government to Be Wary of AI-Era Spying

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton urged U.S. companies and the government Friday to be wary of commercial and state-sponsored espionage as artificial intelligence magnifies risks to interconnected U.S. digital infrastructure.

Clayton described both forms of espionage as realities and said private companies and the government need to be wary.

He said AI amplifies existing cybersecurity risks to U.S. digital infrastructure. He described that infrastructure as interconnected with critical systems related to public goods, national defense and global communications.

Federal prosecutors allege that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI employee, installed a recording device in an OpenAI executive conference room. Alfozan faces a federal charge involving alleged interception of oral communications and has not been charged with espionage. Clayton said the case illustrated efforts to challenge or keep pace with U.S. leadership in emerging AI.

Clayton leads a new White House AI task force. The task force held its first meeting Thursday and established three subcommittees: one focused on reporting and response, another on critical infrastructure and private-sector coordination, and a third on law enforcement and responsibility.

The task force's work builds on an accord President Donald Trump and technology leaders signed at the White House last month. The accord includes industry pledges to police AI risks, and Trump described it as morally binding.