Washington Renames Artificial Intelligence
The U.S. administration has formally begun using the term "Super Intelligence" (SI) in place of "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) in the correspondence and documents of the federal executive branch. The change comes under Executive Order 14434, "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," which President Donald Trump signed on September 29, 2026.
The order directs federal departments and agencies, "to the maximum extent permitted by law," to adopt the new terms in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory materials. According to the White House, agencies should no longer use the terms "artificial intelligence" and "AI" in these contexts. The order does not, however, require changes to existing regulations, contracts, grants, or historical documents.
The order came after a White House summit between Trump and the heads of major technology companies, during which the "White House Accord on Super Intelligence" was signed. Trump had publicly called for the new name days earlier in his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Still, the legal effect of the order is much narrower than its headlines suggest. It does not declare that the United States has actually reached "super intelligence" in the commonly understood scientific sense, meaning systems that broadly and independently surpass general human capabilities. It states explicitly that, for now, the new terms refer to the same technologies and systems covered by the definition of artificial intelligence already in federal law. The scope of technology subject to federal rules does not change overnight. What changes first is the name used inside the administration.
That said, this is more than a vocabulary swap. The order gives the President's assistant for science and technology 60 days to submit proposed legislative language. It is to cover a new federal definition of "super intelligence," the changes needed to existing statutory references to artificial intelligence, and any further executive action the administration considers appropriate.
That is where the significance lies, because official language is never entirely neutral. "Artificial intelligence" covers a wide spectrum, from recommendation algorithms to generative models and advanced systems. "Super intelligence" carries far stronger connotations: capabilities beyond human reach, a strategic race, a major economic opportunity, and, along with them, greater potential risks.
For now, then, the order reads as a linguistic and political repositioning rather than an announcement of a technical breakthrough. It could become the start of a broader regulatory shift if new legislation and definitions follow. A name chosen by government does not change the technology itself, but it can shape how that technology is regulated, marketed, and funded, and how institutions and the public judge its risks.