US President Donald Trump has appointed the director of national intelligence to lead a new taskforce focused on artificial intelligence.

Jay Clayton will head the taskforce, which Mr Trump said would coordinate the federal government’s engagement with consumers, companies, public interest groups and “religious organizations”.

The move has drawn criticism from Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has called for stronger regulation of AI.

Mr Trump has opposed laws that could restrict the development of the technology, despite growing debate over the potential risks of AI and its implications for society.

Last week, the president and leaders of major AI companies signed a “morally binding” agreement making the companies responsible for ensuring the safety of their own technology.

Mr Trump, who has sought to promote the term “super intelligence” for AI, wrote on social media that the new “Super Intelligence Force” would coordinate the federal government’s engagement with “Consumers, Public Interest Groups, Religious Organizations, Critical Infrastructure Providers, and Super Intelligence Companies”.

Mr Clayton, a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, will be joined on the taskforce by Andrew Ferguson, head of the Federal Trade Commission, and Emil Michael, undersecretary of defence for research and engineering.

The taskforce will report directly to Mr Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Mr Trump has repeatedly rejected calls for a slowdown in AI development, saying the US is leading China in the technology race.

“And, frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins,” he said.

President Xi Jinping recently travelled to Washington for a state visit. Days later, Mr Trump ruled out a joint venture between the US and China to develop AI.

“If we do that, we’re going to be giving a lot of secrets that we have that they [China] would want to have, or anybody else,” he said.

The announcement comes amid growing pressure from prominent figures in the technology industry, including executives at OpenAI and Anthropic, for tighter regulation of AI.

Mr Trump first announced the taskforce in September, prompting Senator Warren to criticise the plan.

“Congress cannot meet the pressing threat of AI by just forming another committee or continuing to have drawn-out discussions about it,” she said.

“Let’s actually pass some meaningful regulations on AI to protect people.”

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to cut around 4,000 jobs over the next two years as the carmaker faces growing competition from China, US tariffs and the costly transition to electric vehicles.

The redundancies will mainly affect employees at JLR’s UK-based head office. The company currently employs around 43,000 people worldwide.

JLR’s challenges were compounded by a cyber-attack last year that forced the company to halt production for more than a month.

Chief executive PB Balaji said the company was committed to supporting affected employees throughout the redundancy process.

“The automotive industry faces significant challenges, with technological change amidst intense competition and ongoing geo-political uncertainty,” he said.

JLR hopes to achieve most of the reductions through voluntary redundancy, with employees able to apply until 4 October. However, the company warned that compulsory redundancies could follow if insufficient staff volunteer, with less generous terms.

The affected employees are expected to receive details of the proposals by email in the coming days.

The job cuts form part of a wider effort to save £1.7bn over the next two years as JLR seeks to strengthen its finances and adapt to changing conditions in the global automotive industry.

David Bailey, professor of business and economics at Birmingham University, described JLR as “as strategically important as it gets for the UK economy”.

Uber is set to cut more than 3,000 jobs worldwide as part of a major restructuring aimed at reducing management layers and redirecting spending towards the company’s core businesses.

The cuts represent about 10% of Uber’s global workforce and will reduce staffing to levels last seen in 2021.

Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told employees in an internal email that Uber had grown rapidly but had accumulated too many management layers and small teams, which had slowed decision-making.

He said the restructuring would make the company “simpler” and “faster”, while allowing it to free up funds for its biggest growth opportunities.

The job cuts will affect both managers and non-managers. Uber also plans to combine many of its smallest teams into larger groups, although it has not yet revealed which locations will be most affected.

Uber shares rose by nearly 2% following the announcement, suggesting investors welcomed the restructuring plans.

Analysts estimate the changes could generate as much as $2bn in annual savings for the company.

The restructuring comes as Uber increases investment in autonomous vehicle partnerships and expands its ride-hailing, food delivery and robotaxi operations.

The company is also changing its workplace policy, requiring almost all employees to work in person from designated hubs. Remote positions are expected to account for only about 1% of its workforce.

Unlike many major technology companies that have reduced headcount following heavy investment in artificial intelligence, Uber had largely avoided significant job cuts since the pandemic.