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Trump orders US government to call AI ‘Super Intelligence’
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President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the US government to replace references to “artificial intelligence” and “AI” with the term “Super Intelligence” in official policy websites, documents, and press releases. The unusual language change matters because it could reshape how federal agencies describe, regulate, and debate a technology central to national security, commerce, and infrastructure. Trump said the order followed a White House meeting with technology executives.
Trump announced the initiative while promoting the launch of America.gov, calling Super Intelligence “the best word of all” and “the simplest.” He argued that the technology should not be described as artificial because, in his view, it is extremely powerful and brilliant, and predicted it would mostly be put to good use. The president also claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping “loves” the term during a visit to the White House.
The order does not require agencies to rewrite past regulations or previously issued documents, so its immediate legal effect is narrower than a sweeping rollback of existing rules. Instead, it establishes preferred terminology for future communications and relevant policy settings, where officials are expected to avoid acknowledging “artificial intelligence” or “AI.” The distinction could still influence public understanding and the language used in future enforcement debates.
“Superintelligence” is already an industry term for AI systems more capable or powerful than ordinary systems, but the administration is using it as a broad replacement for the statutory category of AI. The order changes nomenclature rather than the technology: machine-learning models, data centers, chips, software, and autonomous systems retain the same technical foundations. The semantic shift may make a complex field appear futuristic while obscuring differences between existing tools and hypothetical higher-level systems.
Trump signed the order after hosting a White House luncheon with tech CEOs and senior government officials to discuss what the administration now calls Super Intelligence. Public remarks were delivered with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk nearby, and Trump described the meeting as “very productive” and “extremely friendly.” Participants also discussed self-regulation, federal oversight, and the local challenges associated with building the large data centers required for advanced AI services.
At the federal level, the policy could confuse companies, researchers, and lawmakers that must interpret government publications while continuing to use AI terminology themselves. At the local level, Trump said technology firms should make communities happy by providing resources and economic support as they build the large facilities needed for advanced services. The announcement offered little detail on industry reaction, but the high-profile meeting presented the terminology as a national technology strategy, not a minor branding change.
Watchdogs may scrutinize whether the order changes regulatory definitions, funding decisions, or agency responsibilities, rather than merely public wording. The administration’s emphasis on self-regulation, alongside Justice Department and FBI enforcement, suggests any future framework will combine voluntary standards with government authority. The key question is whether “Super Intelligence” can guide responsible development, or whether renaming the field makes risks harder to identify. For now, data-center expansion and the global race to build more capable systems remain the concrete challenges.
