Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the federal government to stop referring to artificial intelligence as “AI” and instead use the term “super intelligence,” part of his broader effort to promote rapid development of the technology while resisting calls for stricter regulation.
The order says “super intelligence” better reflects technology that increasingly does more than imitate or automate specific aspects of human intelligence.
“It’s not artificial, we all agree on that,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
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The terminology change is notable because “superintelligence” already has a specific meaning in the AI field: a theoretical form of artificial intelligence that surpasses human cognitive abilities across virtually all areas. Such systems have not been achieved.
Under the order, federal agencies must use “super intelligence,” or “SI,” in public communications, websites, reports and policy documents. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will determine whether the government needs to establish or expand an official definition.
Trump pushes rapid AI development
The rebranding comes as Trump has repeatedly rejected calls for stronger oversight of AI companies. At the United Nations General Assembly last week, he argued that technology executives could establish appropriate safeguards themselves and warned against slowing U.S. AI development.
The administration has emphasized maintaining American leadership in AI as a national security priority, even as concerns grow over job displacement, cybersecurity and the ability of increasingly autonomous AI systems to operate without sufficient human oversight.
Recent incidents have included AI agents accessing government websites and initiating cyberattacks, raising questions about the risks of rapidly deploying more capable systems.
On Tuesday, tech executives also signed a “morally binding” AI constitution at the White House. The agreement calls for companies to work with independent auditors to assess whether their models are operating as intended and to establish controls designed to prevent AI systems from hacking other systems.
Trump has characterized warnings from AI whistleblowers about inadequate oversight as exaggerated, while continuing to argue that the United States should accelerate development rather than impose restrictions that could slow the industry.
A terminology shift, not a new technology
Despite the order’s language, changing the government’s terminology does not mean a new form of AI has been created. In the technology industry, artificial intelligence remains the standard term for systems capable of performing tasks associated with human intelligence.
The term “superintelligence” generally describes a hypothetical level of AI capability that would exceed humans across virtually all cognitive domains, a threshold current systems have not reached.
The order therefore represents primarily a government terminology and communications change, while the broader debate over how quickly AI should develop and how much oversight it requires continues.
