# Why Trump Wants to Rename AI 'Super Intelligence' - URL: https://superintelligence-news.com/articles/trump-rename-ai-super-intelligence - Publisher: Superintelligence News - Section: Policy & Government - Type: news - Author: Umair - Published: 2026-10-14 - In this story: [Donald Trump](https://superintelligence-news.com/people/donald-trump), [U.S. Department of State](https://superintelligence-news.com/organizations/us-state-department), [United Nations General Assembly](https://superintelligence-news.com/organizations/un-general-assembly) **In plain English:** Trump wants the US government to call AI "super intelligence" because he thinks the word "artificial" sounds fake. The technology itself has not changed. > President Trump wants the US government to call artificial intelligence "super intelligence", because "artificial" makes it sound fake. He announced it at the UN on September 22, 2026, and on September 29 signed Executive Order 14434, which tells federal agencies to say "Super Intelligence" and "SI". The label covers today's AI, not the superintelligence researchers debate. ## The brief - **What happened:** Trump announced at the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2026 that US documents would say "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence". On September 29 he signed an executive order making it the rule for federal agencies. - **Why it matters:** Official US documents now use "super intelligence" for today's AI, a term researchers use for a future AI far beyond the best human experts. Readers will meet both meanings. - **What happens next:** Within 60 days of the order (by about November 28, 2026), the President's science adviser must propose a legal definition of "Super Intelligence" for Congress to consider. ## Key facts - Trump announced the change in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 (AP). - Executive Order 14434, "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence", signed September 29, 2026, tells federal agencies to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" (White House). - For now, the order defines "Super Intelligence" as the same technologies covered by the existing US legal definition of artificial intelligence (15 U.S.C. 9401(3)). - The order applies to the executive branch, not to companies, and does not require rewriting earlier regulations, contracts or grants. - In research, superintelligence means AI that would far exceed the best human experts at most tasks. No system has been shown to reach that level. ## What did Trump say? In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, President Donald Trump said the United States would stop calling the technology "artificial intelligence". "The use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake, it makes it sound fake and it is not fake. It's actually amazing," he said, according to the Associated Press. He said US government documents would "be changed to use the much more accurate term super as opposed to artificial", and added, as reported by The Hill: "welcome to the new world of super intelligence – S.I." ## What did the State Department change? The same day, the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs, which oversees US missions to the UN and other international bodies, sent its staff an email titled "Change in Nomenclature AI to SI". The AP obtained the email the next day. It told employees to "change all references of 'Artificial Intelligence' to 'Super Intelligence' in our documents and positions" and said the bureau would use "SI" in all remarks, positions and press materials. On September 23, US representatives used the term "SI" at a UN Security Council meeting on AI. ## What does the executive order say? On September 29, 2026, Trump signed Executive Order 14434, titled "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence". Its main points: - **New terms.** "To the maximum extent permitted by law", federal agencies must use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in place of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents and other non-statutory documents. The order says the executive branch "will not acknowledge the usage of 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI'" where the policy applies. - **No rewriting of the past.** Earlier regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants and other historical documents do not have to be changed. - **Same technology, new name.** For now, "Super Intelligence" and "SI" mean the same technologies covered by the existing legal definition of artificial intelligence in US law (15 U.S.C. 9401(3)). - **A new definition is coming.** Within 60 days, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology must send the President proposed legislative language for a federal definition of "Super Intelligence", including whether it should replace the current legal definition of AI. The order applies to the executive branch, not to companies or the public. In a White House fact sheet, the administration said the new name "conveys the true capabilities of the technologies being developed today". On October 8, Trump went further in a post on Truth Social. According to AFP, he wrote that the White House considers anyone who uses "Artificial Intelligence" instead of "the highly accepted new and more accurate term, 'Super Intelligence'" to be "THE ENEMY". The post did not say what, if anything, would follow from that. ## Who else uses the term? AFP reports that some companies already use "super intelligence", including Meta, and that Elon Musk uses the term in posts on X. Most researchers, companies and governments outside the US administration still say "artificial intelligence" or "AI". ## Is "super intelligence" the same as superintelligence? Not in the usual sense. In research, [superintelligence](/articles/what-is-superintelligence) means a hypothetical AI that would far exceed the best human experts at most intellectual tasks. Leading AI labs say they are working toward it, and others warn that it could be dangerous. No system has been shown to reach that level. The order itself makes the difference clear: it defines "Super Intelligence" as the same technologies the law already calls artificial intelligence, such as today's chatbots and AI agents. Renaming the technology does not change what it can do. It does mean that "super intelligence" in a US government document refers to ordinary AI, while the same word in a research paper refers to something that does not exist yet. ## Why it matters The change comes during a wider debate about how far to regulate AI. AI company leaders, lawmakers and others have warned that the technology could outpace human control and have called for global rules, the AP reports. Trump favors lighter regulation so that the US can stay ahead of China, according to The Hill. AFP describes the renaming as mainly political: an attempt to give AI a more positive image at a time of security worries and local anger about new data centers. ## What happens next The President's science adviser has until about November 28, 2026 (60 days after the order) to propose a legal definition of "Super Intelligence". Any change to the definition in US law would need Congress. The other questions to watch are whether other governments and international bodies adopt the term, and whether more companies follow. We will update this article as the facts change. ## Frequently asked questions ### Did Trump officially rename artificial intelligence? Yes, for the federal executive branch. Executive Order 14434, signed on September 29, 2026, tells agencies to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in place of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports and policy documents. ### Does the new name apply to companies? No. The order covers the executive branch of the US government. AFP reports that some companies, including Meta, already use the term, and that Elon Musk uses it in posts on X. ### Is "super intelligence" the same as superintelligence? Not in the usual technical sense. Researchers use "superintelligence" for a hypothetical AI that would far exceed human experts at most tasks. The order itself defines "Super Intelligence" as the technologies already covered by the US legal definition of artificial intelligence. ### Why did Trump want to change the name? He said the word "artificial" makes intelligence "sound fake", and called "super" the "much more accurate" term. The White House says the new name reflects what today's systems can already do. ## Sources - [The White House, Executive Order 14434: Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, Sept. 29, 2026](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/) - [The White House, Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Inaugurates The Era of Super Intelligence, Sept. 29, 2026](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/09/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-inaugurates-the-era-of-super-intelligence/) - [Associated Press (via Anchorage Daily News), US diplomats told to say 'super intelligence' not 'artificial intelligence' after Trump's call, Sept. 24, 2026](https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2026/09/23/us-diplomats-told-to-say-super-intelligence-not-artificial-intelligence-after-trumps-call/) - [The Hill (via KXAN), Trump says AI will be renamed 'super intelligence' in all US documents](https://www.kxan.com/news/national-news/trump-says-ai-will-be-renamed-super-intelligence-in-all-us-documents/amp/) - [AFP (via Gulf News), Trump says anyone who does not call AI 'super intelligence' is the enemy, Oct. 8, 2026](https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-says-anyone-who-does-not-call-ai-super-intelligence-is-the-enemy-1.500703693)