Who’s in Charge of AI and SI at Top Federal Agencies

Federal agencies are continuing to appoint chief artificial intelligence and super intelligence officers as part of the collective movement to meet directives established in former President Joe Biden’s 2023 AI executive order and solidified by an AI memo from the Trump administration. 

The 2023 executive order tasked agencies with a series of responsibilities connected to the technology. It marked the first time federal agencies were mandated to appoint a designated CAIO, whose responsibilities include “coordinating their agency’s use of AI, promoting AI innovation, [and] managing risks from the use of AI,” according to the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance. 

President Donald Trump’s April 2025 memo on accelerating AI innovation continued efforts to establish chief AI officers and tasked the OMB director with creating a CAIO AI Council within 90 days of the memo’s release. The council coordinates AI development and use across agencies, ensures compliance with relevant policies, promotes shared tools and best practices and will automatically sunset five years after its creation unless extended by the OMB director. 

In September 2026, Trump signed an executive order requiring federal departments and agencies to replace the terms “artificial intelligence” and “AI” with “super intelligence” and “SI” to better reflect the “full promise and opportunity” of the technology.

Here are some of the most prominent leaders at the agency level in charge of AI: 

White House: Jay Clayton

Trump tapped Office of National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton to lead a “Super Intelligence Force,” a task force of senior officials from across the government to advise on the government’s AI strategy.

According to Trump, the task force will coordinate the government’s relationship with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and AI companies. In addition to Clayton, Trump said FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and CTO Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor will be a part of the SI Force and report directly to the president and his chief of staff.

Clayton, who was confirmed as spy chief in August, previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and before that as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He replaces former AI and crypto czar David Sacks, who was only able to serve part time since he did not step down from his role at Craft Ventures and stepped down in March when he reached his allotted 130 days.

Agriculture Department: Christopher Alvares 

Christopher Alvares was selected as the Department of Agriculture’s CAIO in 2023. Alvares also serves as the department’s chief data officer. He helped develop the USDA’s inaugural AI strategy for FY 2025-26. 

“Our progress in advanced analytics and data informed decision-making over the past decade demonstrates the importance of this inaugural AI Strategy, which will establish the technological and cultural infrastructure to responsibly use AI, increase employee satisfaction, and expand the impact of our mission delivery,” said Alvares in the strategy’s introduction. 

As CDO and CAIO, Alvares is responsible for developing strategies that enable USDA to fully leverage its data as a strategic asset, improving organizational decision-making and outcomes for citizens. Alvares began his career working for private sector biotech companies, before becoming director of a data analytics team that provided genomic analytics services to other biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients. 

Commerce Department: Brian Epley 

Brian Epley is the current CAIO and CIO at the Department of Commerce, according to the department’s directory.

Epley was previously at the Department of Energy, where he served as the principal deputy CIO. He assisted the CIO in the formation of the office’s strategic direction for the protection and modernization of IT, cybersecurity, data usage and digitization. 

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: Unknown 

Lisa Einstein, who was named CISA’s first CAIO in August 2024, had been leading AI efforts since 2023 as the agency’s senior advisor for AI as well as the executive director of the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. While at CISA, Einstein worked to help prioritize security in developing and deploying AI tools. 

Einstein resigned as CAIO in February 2025. 

War Department: Cameron Stanley 

Cameron Stanley is the chief digital and artificial intelligence officer (CDAO) for the Department of War. Previously, Stanley served as national security transformation lead for Amazon Web Services and was the chief data officerfor the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security from 2022-2024. Prior to that, he was chief of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team, also known as Project Maven.  

Education Department: Vijay Sharma

Vijay Sharma serves at the Education Department’s CTO and Lead AI Officer, according to his LinkedIn account.

Energy Department: Unknown

Helena Fu, director of the Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies at the Department of Energy, serves as the agency’s deputy CAIO, according to her LinkedIn account. Fu previously served as director for Technology and National Security at the White House National Security Council and as director of International Science and Technology Cooperation and Trusted Research for the Office of Science at DOE. 

Dario Gil, serves as the Under Secretary for Science and Director of the Genesis Mission. In that role he is leading the department’s AI, quantum computing and advanced computing portfolio.

Department of Health and Human Services: David Hong

David Hong services as the acting CIO and acting chief super intelligence officer, according to the Health Department’s leadership page. In that role he leads technology strategy and innovation across the agency.

Hong replaced Clark Minor who now serves as a special advisor to the office of the CIO.

Food and Drug Administration: Jared Seehafer

Jared Seehafer serves as the FDA’s first deputy commissioner for technology and artificial intelligence, according to the agency’s organization chart. Seehafer replaced Jeremy Walsh who departed in June 2026.

Walsh became the first-ever CAIO for the FDA in early 2025. Shortly after, the FDA launched Elsa, a generative AI tool to help employee efficiency. Prior to the FDA, Walsh worked for 14 years as the chief technologist at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Department of Homeland Security: Unknown

Antoine McCord previously served as the Department of Homeland Security’s chief AI officer and CIO until August 2026. McCord, who was appointed as CAIO in March 2025, was responsible for promoting AI innovation and responsible use within DHS.

Kyle Schutt has replaced McCord as acting CIO at the department, according to the leadership page, but it is unclear if he also serves as CAIO.

Department of Housing and Urban Development: Unknown

Eric Sidle previously served as the CIO and CAIO for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but left the agency to serve as the CIO for the Interior Department. Prior to joining HUD, Sidle worked at the technology consulting firm Fabrum Advisors for the past two years.

David Julian replaced Sidle as HUD’s CIO, according to his LinkedIn page, but it is unclear if he also serves as the CAIO.

Justice Department: Unknown 

Jonathan Mayer served as the Justice Department’s first chief science and technology advisor and CAIO from February 2024 until early 2025. At DOJ, the CAIO role includes advising DOJ leadership on issues like cybersecurity, AIand other emerging technologies. 

Labor Department: Mangala Kuppa 

Mangala Kuppa serves as both the CIO and the CAIO for the Department of Labor, according to the department’s leadership page. Kuppa previously served as the agency’s deputy CAIO prior to moving into the lead role. 

Kuppa first came to the agency in 2020 after spending more than a decade at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Within the labor department, she has served as the director of case management and director of business application services. 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Kevin Murphy 

Kevin Murphy serves as the acting chief data and super intelligence officer and chief science data officer at NASA, according to his professional bio.

Murphy came to NASA’s Office of the CIO in 2021 after working as a program executive for the Earth Science Data System (ESDS) program, according to his LinkedIn profile. Murphy will focus on advancing NASA’s AI strategy and growing the agency’s AI use case inventory. 

National Science Foundation: Michael Hauck

Michael Hauck is reportedly the acting CAIO for the National Science Foundation, though he is not listed on the agency’s website.

Thu Williams, the former acting CAIO, left in January, according to her LinkedIn profile. She served in that position for nine months. 

Social Security Administration: Unknown

Brian Peltier announced in October 2026 he was leaving the Social Security Administration after 22 years. He previously served as the head of technology, customer data and AI at SSA. He joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the deputy director of the Office of Information Technology, according to CMS CIO Patrick Newbold.

State Department: Amy Ritualo 

Amy Ritualo serves as the State Department’s acting CAIO and CDO. She stepped into the roles in January 2025, after Matthew Graviss left the agency. 

Ritualo has been with State since 2022 and held the deputy CDO role since 2024. Before State, she worked at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USDA and Labor. The CAIO position, according to an archived State Department description, is “responsible for making data accessible, interoperable and actionable across the Department of State.” 

Treasury Department: Paras Malik 

Paras Malik serves as the Treasury’s chief SI officer, according to her LinkedIn. Previously she worked at the Boston Consulting Group, Morgan Stanley and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As chief, Malik will lead the department’s “strategic use of artificial intelligence to enhance mission delivery and strengthen the resilience of the U.S. financial system,” according to a Treasury announcement.  

General Services Administration: Zach Whitman 

Zach Whitman, who joined the General Services Administration in July 2023 as the agency’s chief data scientist, assumed the CAIO role in November 2023. Whitman was previously CDO at the Census Bureau for seven years and worked in the private sector before his time at Census. 

Under Whitman, the administration is implementing a three-tiered approach to AI implementation, according to its AI strategy plan. 

“GSA ensures that AI adoption progresses responsibly and strategically—starting with low-risk, high-value enterprise services that enable broader enterprise adoption and workforce upskilling (Tier 1), advancing to program-specific integrations that leverage a service-based architecture while maintaining all requisite system and data controls (Tier 2), and finally embedding AI directly into mission systems and high-impact applications to increase the direct value and service delivery of those systems (Tier 3).” 

Department of Veterans Affairs: Kimberly McManus

Kimberly McManus serves as acting CAIO at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the department’s website. Prior to stepping into the role, she served as the deputy CTO at the VA for three years.

In a post on the VA’s website, McManus said “AI at VA is a force multiplier – it is here to support people, not replace them,” and described the technology as a tool to help the workforce “spend less time on repetitive administrative tasks and more time doing what they came to VA to do: caring for and serving Veterans.”

Federal Trade Commission: Marco Peraza

Marco Peraza serves as the Federal Trade Commission’s chief SI officer, according to the department’s SI compliance plan. He also serves as the acting CIO and CDO, according to the FTC website. He replaced Mark Gray who left in July 2026. Gray held the CAIO position since 2023 and was previously the agency’s deputy CIO for more than three years.

Interior Department: Jay McMaster

Jay McMaster is listed as the Interior Department’s CAIO on the agency’s AI compliance plan. But according to his LinkedIn, his title changed from CAIO to AI Systems Architect in February 2026.

“AI will be integrated into Department operations to generate insights, automate business processes and operations, and improve decision-making. This will allow us to use our scientifc and cultural data more effectively,” according to the Interior’s AI strategy plan. 

Transportation Department: Brian Brotsos

Brian Brotsos is acting chief data and AI officer at the Transportation Department, according to the agency’s website. Brotsos, who has more than 25 years of federal experience, will oversee DOT’s AI strategy and integration. He previously led large-scale data initiatives at the Treasury and Agriculture departments.

Environmental Protection Agency: Niki Maslin 

Niki Maslin serves as the Environmental Protection Agency’s CAIO, according to the agency’s website. Maslin also serves as EPA’s CTO and deputy director of Office of Digital Services and Technical Architecture. Maslin said on LinkedIn that she’s excited about new and innovative technologies and how best to develop and implement them. Before coming to EPA, Maslin served in various roles at FEMA and the U.S. Navy. 

National Archives and Records Administration: N/A

Gulam Shakir serves as the National Archives and Records Administration CIO, according to its website. In that role, Shakir oversees AI along with Jill Reilly, who serves as the chief innovation officer. They have both led AI pilots at the administration to improve customer experience efforts through enhanced search capabilities and strengthen security efforts of employee data.

Office of Personnel Management: Perryn Ashmore 

Perryn Ashmore is listed as the acting CAIO for the Office of Personnel Management in the organization’s 2025 AI compliance plan. However, his LinkedIn page lists his title as assistant director of enterprise learning at OPM.

Oct. 19, 2026 — This article has been updated since initial publication to reflect the latest leadership appointments.