Trump Orders US Federal Agencies to Replace ‘AI’ With ‘Super Intelligence’ in Official Communications
November 12, 2026 - US President Donald Trump is pushing to replace the term “Artificial Intelligence” with “Super Intelligence,” introducing a terminology change across the federal government. The move follows an executive order signed on September 29, 2026, which instructs government departments to adopt “Super Intelligence” and its abbreviation “SI” when referring to AI technologies.
The administration argues that the new terminology better represents the expanding capabilities of modern AI systems. However, the decision has raised questions about the distinction between existing AI technologies and the concept of superintelligence.
What Does Trump’s Executive Order Say?
The executive order, titled Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, directs executive departments and federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI.”
The change applies to:
Official government correspondence and public communications
Federal government websites and reports
Policy documents and other non-statutory government records
The order does not require agencies to revise previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants, or historical documents
It also does not prohibit technology companies, researchers, journalists, or the general public from continuing to use the term AI.
Why Does Trump Want to Replace AI With SI?
According to the White House, the term Artificial Intelligence no longer adequately describes the capabilities of modern systems.
The executive order argues that advanced AI technologies are moving beyond automating individual tasks and increasingly supporting human creativity, scientific research, and innovation.
Trump believes that “Super Intelligence” better reflects this technological progress. The administration has also instructed the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to submit proposed legislative language establishing a federal definition of SI within 60 days of the order. The proposal must assess whether the new definition should expand or replace the existing statutory definition of AI.
Why Is the New Terminology Creating Debate?
The biggest concern is that superintelligence already has an established meaning in artificial intelligence research.
Researchers generally use the term to describe hypothetical systems that outperform human cognitive abilities across almost every intellectual domain. Such systems have not yet been demonstrated.
Current generative AI platforms, including ChatGPT, primarily fall under general-purpose AI. Their capabilities remain inconsistent across different tasks.
According to experts cited by PolitiFact, using superintelligence to replace all AI technologies could confuse what existing systems can actually achieve.
How Are AI Companies Responding?
The terminology change has received mixed reactions from technology industry leaders. Elon Musk supported the proposed terminology and indicated that his AI company, SpaceXAI, would adopt the name SpaceXSI.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also used the term ‘superintelligence’ during a White House gathering. However, companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic have continued using Artificial Intelligence and AI in their public communications.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/08/trump-ai-super-intelligence-renaming-01112404
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/
