Trump orders executive branch to call AI ‘Super Intelligence’
Trump directed executive agencies to replace “AI” with “Super Intelligence” in specified official materials while a federal definition is developed.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
President Donald Trump on Sept. 29 signed an order directing executive-branch agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in specified government materials. The Trump AI Super Intelligence order changes terminology for executive agencies, while the federal government has yet to establish a definition for the new terms.
According to a White House fact sheet, departments and agencies must use the replacement terms in official correspondence, public communications, policy documents and non-statutory documents. The directive also tells them not to acknowledge the previous terms in applicable executive-branch settings.
What does Trump’s AI Super Intelligence order cover?
The order applies to the executive branch, including federal departments and agencies. It does not direct the public or private companies to change their usage of “AI,” based on the White House description.
The White House says the terminology change is meant to recognize what it calls the advancing technology frontier and its potential opportunities. In the administration’s view, “Super Intelligence” better describes systems that go beyond imitating or automating discrete aspects of human intelligence, Politico reported.
Trump discussed the new name at a White House event on Tuesday, saying he did not want to use the word “artificial” for the technology, according to The Verge. The order was signed the same day Trump met technology executives and government officials at the White House.
A definition has not yet been set
The order separately directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to propose a federal definition for “Super Intelligence” and “SI.” The official must also identify any further executive action needed to put that definition into effect, the White House said.
That leaves an important distinction between the immediate change and its longer-term implications: agencies have been instructed to adopt the new wording in the materials identified by the order, but the federal definition is still to be proposed.
The action comes amid continuing debate over oversight and safety for fast-developing AI systems. The White House presented the order as a terminology decision tied to its view of the technology’s capabilities; it did not establish a completed new federal definition in the fact sheet.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.