President Donald Trump escalated a campaign to alter technology terminology on October 8, 2026, posting on Truth Social that the White House considers anyone continuing to use the phrase "Artificial Intelligence" instead of "Super Intelligence" to be an enemy. The declaration follows an executive branch directive pushing for a broad shift in official government nomenclature.
Federal Directives and Early Adoption
The statement builds upon a September 29 executive order titled "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," which instructed executive agencies to replace "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" with "Super Intelligence" and "SI" across official websites, public reports, and non-statutory documents. Federal implementation has already begun, with Reuters reporting on October 6 that the Justice Department instructed employees to adopt the new phrase in formal contexts, including legal proceedings. Some industry figures have aligned with the effort; on October 4, Elon Musk publicly backed the change on X and indicated that SpaceX would rename its artificial intelligence unit from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI.
Scientific Definitions vs. Political Branding
The administration argues that the classic term no longer reflects the true capabilities and potential of modern models. In computer science, however, artificial intelligence describes general systems performing human cognitive tasks, while artificial superintelligence refers to hypothetical future systems that exceed human cognition across all domains. To manage this distinction within government operations, the executive order initially applies existing statutory definitions of artificial intelligence to "Super Intelligence," while directing the White House science adviser to present an updated legislative definition within 60 days.
Scope and Sector Limitations
Despite the presidential statement, the underlying executive order applies strictly to executive branch agencies. It establishes no legal mandates, private sector requirements, or compliance penalties for independent technology companies, academic researchers, journalists, or the general public. Because artificial intelligence is currently embedded across academic fields, software tools, international standards, and business branding, it remains unclear how widely the administration's preferred phrasing will take hold outside of federal agencies and voluntary corporate adopters.
AI-generated editorial illustration; not a documentary photograph.
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