The United States Department of Justice has created a Super Intelligence Task Force to coordinate criminal and civil enforcement against the misuse of advanced artificial intelligence, the department announced on Thursday, November 5. The new unit, known as DOJ-SITF, will target misuse by foreign states and state-backed actors, transnational criminal organisations and individuals or companies engaged in fraud or other unlawful conduct, and will serve as the department's main point of contact with the White House's Super Intelligence Force.
The task force was established by a memorandum from Attorney General Todd Blanche dated October 13, and will be co-chaired by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Associate Deputy Attorney General Stephen Weiss. According to the department, its job is to protect American taxpayers, critical infrastructure and national security from criminals who use the technology — which the executive branch now calls "super intelligence" rather than "artificial intelligence" — to commit fraud, carry out hacks and steal intellectual property.
What the task force will do
The October 13 memorandum sets out six duties: organising the department's criminal and civil enforcement involving super intelligence; deconflicting investigations among department components and US attorneys' offices; recommending enforcement priorities; serving as the department's principal point of contact with the White House Super Intelligence Force and other agencies; absorbing the earlier Artificial Intelligence Task Force and coordinating affirmative civil litigation; and developing guidance on prosecuting unlawful conduct and evaluating companies' compliance measures.
The task force draws members from across the department: the Antitrust, Civil, Criminal, National Security and National Fraud Enforcement divisions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Solicitor General and the Attorney General's Advisory Committee. Prosecutors are expected to notify the task force before opening a super-intelligence-related investigation and before seeking charges or finalising a resolution, although the memorandum says notification should not delay action and is not required in exigent circumstances, such as an imminent threat to public safety.
"SI development will continue to be powered by American innovators. The SI Task Force at the Department of Justice will facilitate our partnership with SI Force Chair Jay Clayton as we ensure critical SI technologies serve the American people and are not manipulated by bad actors at home or abroad."
— Attorney General Todd Blanche, in the department's announcement
Woodward said in the release that "as technological capabilities evolve, the DOJ-SITF will advance the department's mission to make America safe." Weiss added that the department "has a responsibility to utilize law enforcement tools at our disposal to deter improper use of SI, harden regular reporting on SI risk and response, and ensure companies exercise vigorous internal controls so that SI technology behaves as intended."
The "super intelligence" rebrand
The task force's name comes from the administration's rebranding of artificial intelligence. On September 29, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14434, "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence", directing federal agencies to use the term "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence" in non-statutory documents to the maximum extent permitted by law. The order defines the term by reference to the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence in US law.
The same order created the White House Super Intelligence Force, chaired by the Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, which coordinates the government's engagement with AI companies and other organisations. The force was given 120 days from early October to report on the risks and rewards of the technology. At its first meeting on October 15, it agreed to develop protocols for AI companies to give early warnings of breaches, hacks and jailbreaks, and to set up a coordination committee including the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.
The term itself has a longer history: philosopher Nick Bostrom defined superintelligence as "any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest" — a more ambitious concept than today's AI systems, and a meaning distinct from the everyday use of "artificial intelligence".
What it does not do — yet
For all the launch-day language, the task force creates no new offence and no new statute. Neither the press release nor the October memorandum names a specific law the unit will enforce, and no charges or cases were announced alongside its creation. Its enforcement path runs through existing statutes, and the first cases it brings will show how the department intends to use it.
That leaves an open question. The main federal computer-crime law, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, requires a person to intentionally or knowingly access a computer without authorisation. An autonomous AI agent that breaks into a system without a person directing the intrusion may sit outside that law as written — a gap the White House science adviser has been asked to address in proposed legislative language due by November 28.
Blanche has also drawn a line on the other side. He has said he will not investigate or prosecute AI companies when no statute is being violated, a position he set out in a September interview with Bloomberg News. The task force is aimed at misuse of the technology, not at the companies building it.
Context: the task force absorbs the Artificial Intelligence Litigation Task Force announced on January 9, 2026, by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. That unit ceases to operate as a separate body, and its matters, work product, personnel and reporting obligations transfer to the new task force.
What is not yet known: the task force has announced no caseload, no enforcement priorities beyond the six duties in the memorandum, and no definition of what compliance measures it expects from AI companies. Whether it becomes an active prosecutor of AI-related crime or mainly a coordination hub will only become clear from its first investigations and charges.
How the launch unfolded
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sept 29, 2026 | Trump signs Executive Order 14434, creating the White House Super Intelligence Force and ordering the "super intelligence" rebrand. |
| Oct 13, 2026 | Attorney General Blanche signs the memorandum establishing the DOJ Super Intelligence Task Force. |
| Nov 5, 2026 | The Justice Department publicly announces the task force. |
| Nov 28, 2026 | Deadline for proposed legislative language on a federal definition of super intelligence. |
Frequently asked questions
What is "super intelligence"?
It is the term the executive branch now uses in place of "artificial intelligence", under Executive Order 14434. The order defines it by reference to the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence in US law.
What will the task force actually do?
It coordinates the Justice Department's criminal and civil enforcement involving advanced AI: organising investigations, stopping different department components from duplicating or conflicting with each other, recommending enforcement priorities, developing prosecution guidance, and acting as the department's link to the White House Super Intelligence Force.
Does it create new laws against AI misuse?
No. The task force creates no new offence and names no new statute. It will enforce existing law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Whether that law reaches autonomous AI agents acting without a directing person is an open question, and the White House science adviser is due to propose legislative language on the definition of super intelligence by November 28.
Who leads it?
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Associate Deputy Attorney General Stephen Weiss serve as co-chairs. Attorney General Todd Blanche established the unit by memorandum on October 13, 2026.
What happened to the department's earlier AI task force?
The Artificial Intelligence Litigation Task Force, announced in January 2026 under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, has been folded into the new unit and ceases to operate separately. Its work, personnel and reporting obligations transfer to the Super Intelligence Task Force.
Key takeaways
- The Justice Department has created a Super Intelligence Task Force (DOJ-SITF), announced November 5, to coordinate criminal and civil enforcement against misuse of advanced AI.
- It targets foreign states, state-backed actors, transnational criminal organisations and fraudsters, and aims to protect taxpayers, critical infrastructure and national security.
- It is co-chaired by Stanley Woodward and Stephen Weiss, draws on the FBI and five department divisions, and absorbs the AI Litigation Task Force set up in January 2026.
- It creates no new offence: enforcement will run through existing law, and whether that law reaches autonomous AI agents remains unresolved.
The launch is a statement of intent rather than a record of action. What matters next is the caseload: the first investigations the task force opens, the first charges it brings, and whether it asks Congress for new legal tools. The November 28 deadline for proposed legislative language on a federal definition of super intelligence is the first date to watch. Until then, the unit's significance lies in the signal it sends — that the Justice Department intends to treat the misuse of advanced AI as a core enforcement priority, while leaving the companies that build the technology alone unless a statute is broken.
