CFTC Chair Says AI Helps Offset Staffing Cuts at Crypto Regulator

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), traditionally responsible for futures, options and swaps markets, is now also expected to oversee crypto assets and prediction markets. After the Trump administration reduced the federal workforce, CFTC staffing fell from 708 employees at the end of fiscal 2024 to 543. As its remit expands, AI's ability to bolster supervisory and enforcement capacity will be critical to market integrity.

On April 16, 2026, Chair Mike Selig told the House Agriculture Committee that the CFTC had adopted Microsoft Copilot and was using AI for market surveillance and several prediction-market investigations. On April 28, he also said AI would review crypto companies' registration applications. That month, the CFTC proposed a $410 million budget for fiscal 2027, an increase of $45 million from 2026, and outlined plans for 650 full-time employees.