Trump administration mandates 'Super Intelligence' terminology across federal government

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to retire the phrase "artificial intelligence" from their official communications. Instead, government websites, policy documents, and press releases must now use the term "Super Intelligence."

The rationale behind the rebrand#

Trump justified the terminology shift at a White House event, arguing that the word "super" better captures the nature of the technology than "artificial." "The word super is the best word of all, and it's the simplest," he stated, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping supported the change during a recent White House visit. He suggested that "artificial" carries negative connotations, equating the term with misinformation: "Artificial is like the news. Fake news."

The president framed the rebrand as part of a broader effort to address public concerns about the pace of AI development. He highlighted the potential benefits while acknowledging risks, saying the technology "is going to mostly be put to good use and we'll stop the bad use."

Implementation and scope#

The order doesn't require federal agencies to revise existing regulations or historical documents, but it does establish a directive for forward-facing communications. In practice, officials are expected to avoid even acknowledging the traditional terminology of "artificial intelligence" or "AI" in relevant contexts.

The shift takes a broad statutory definition of AI and attempts to replace it with "superintelligence"—a technical term that typically refers to advanced, particularly powerful AI systems. This represents an unusual application of the specialized term at a policy level.

Tech industry engagement#

Trump signed the order following a productive luncheon at the White House with prominent technology executives and government officials. The gathering included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, among other industry figures.

During remarks after the meeting, Trump emphasized a preference for industry self-regulation over government oversight, though he noted that existing agencies like the Department of Justice and FBI maintain regulatory authority. On the challenge of deploying massive data centers—essential infrastructure for running advanced AI systems—Trump suggested that tech companies would work with local communities to address concerns, particularly by contributing economic benefits. "Data centers are going to be very popular," he predicted.