Trump ordered the federal government to rename AI as “Super Intelligence”

President Trump signed an order on September 29, 2026 telling the executive branch to stop using “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in favor of “Super Intelligence” and “SI.” The directive says the new label better matches what frontier systems can do, arguing that today’s tools go beyond imitation and automation and now amplify human ingenuity across science, medicine, and more.

The order doesn’t just ask for a fresh name. It tells federal departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory material. At the same time, it says older regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants, and other historical documents do not need to be changed.

There’s also a legal follow-up. Within 60 days, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology is supposed to send proposed legislative language for a federal definition of “Super Intelligence” and “SI.” That proposal must address whether the new term should replace, expand, or supersede the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence, plus any conforming amendments and any other presidential or executive action needed to carry it out.

The order tries to thread a narrow needle. It says the definition of “Super Intelligence” and “SI” will initially mean the technologies already covered by the current U.S. definition of artificial intelligence, unless changed by later presidential action or Congress. It also says the order must be carried out only as far as law and appropriations allow, and that it creates no enforceable right against the government. The publication costs will be paid by the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

And yes, this is the federal government trying to rename a major technology category by fiat. That’s not policy so much as label management with a seal on top.