President Donald Trump on Sept. 29 directed the U.S. government to replace the term "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence" or "SI" in official communications. The directive came through an executive order mandating federal agencies to adopt the new terminology.
The order followed Trump's Sept. 22 address to the United Nations General Assembly, where he first announced the name change. During his remarks, he rejected what he called a "globalist scheme" to control the technology and dismissed AI safety concerns as a "hoax."
Trump explained his reasoning at the U.N. saying, "The use of the word 'artificial' makes intelligence fake. It makes it sound fake. And it is not fake. It's actually amazing." He expressed hope that other nations would follow the U.S. government's lead.
"In other words, welcome to the new world of super intelligence, dash, SI," Trump declared, audibly pronouncing the em-dash from his teleprompter. He added, "Let's see if I have any power. Maybe I do, and maybe I don't. We're going to find out pretty soon."
While the President controls terminology for his administration and federal government, he cannot compel private companies, foreign governments, or individuals to cease using "artificial intelligence." Following his U.N. address, White House officials began publicly using "SI," and the State Department instructed diplomats to make the switch in all "remarks, positions, and press elements moving forward."
California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly pushed back against the federal directive. Newsom signed an order requiring all California state agencies to continue using the term "artificial intelligence." In a statement, Newsom said, "Super intelligence is clearly not coming from the White House," and affirmed California's continued leadership on AI.
Before his U.N. announcement, Trump posted a poll to Truth Social on Sept. 19, asking his 13.1 million followers to suggest a more "elegant and accurate" name for artificial intelligence. The poll received 66,000 responses, but the name Trump ultimately selected, "super intelligence," was not among the options provided.
On the same day the executive order was issued, a White House roundtable took place where tech executives signed the White House Accord on Super Intelligence. Trump described the accord as "morally binding" for the participants. His administration has consistently highlighted the importance of the United States maintaining a lead over China in AI development.
