WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (Infinite Headlines) — President Donald J. Trump’s order to replace “Artificial Intelligence” with “Super Intelligence” in federal executive-branch communications changes the government’s terminology, not the capabilities of the technology it describes.
Signed on September 29, 2026, Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” directs departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI,” to the maximum extent permitted by law.
The order uses the new name for the same broad legal category of technology. That differs from the concept described by philosopher Nick Bostrom: intelligence that greatly exceeds human performance across virtually all areas of interest.
Where will the new wording apply?
The executive order covers official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents and other executive-branch documents that are not statutes — laws enacted by Congress.
Its reach is limited by existing law. Agencies must use the replacement terms only where legally permitted; the directive does not itself rewrite statutory language.
The order also does not require agencies to change previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants or other historical documents. Its instructions therefore concern government language without requiring a wholesale rewriting of past records.
Does “SI” now mean something different from “AI”?
For purposes of the order, no. Except where law provides otherwise, the order says “Super Intelligence” and “SI” encompass the same technologies and systems covered by the definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. § 9401(3), a provision of federal law.
That incorporated definition remains in place unless a later lawful presidential action or an act of Congress supersedes it. The order changes the label now; it does not expand the category of systems covered by that definition.
The administration says the terminology is intended to reflect the technology’s advancing capabilities and promise. Its descriptions of the abilities of frontier systems — systems at the leading edge of development — are administration claims, not independent verification that superintelligence exists.
What does superintelligence mean as a concept?
In his book Superintelligence, Bostrom describes an intellect that greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all domains of interest. Cognitive performance means abilities such as reasoning, learning and solving problems.
This is a much more demanding concept than the executive order’s use of an existing statutory AI category. Bostrom’s definition concerns the level and breadth of an intelligence’s abilities, rather than the name a government uses for a group of technologies.
A related idea is an “intelligence explosion.” The Machine Intelligence Research Institute describes this as a possible scenario in which a machine becomes better than humans at designing AI, then improves its own intelligence through a feedback loop. In that scenario, improved abilities help the machine make further improvements.
The institute presents this as a possibility, not an observed consequence of the executive order.
Could the federal definition change later?
The order sets a separate process for considering that question. Within 60 days of September 29, 2026, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology must submit proposed legislative language to the president, after consulting agency heads as the assistant considers appropriate.
The proposal must assess whether a new federal definition should modify, expand or replace the existing statutory AI definition. It must also address possible related changes to statutes and recommend any further presidential or executive action.
The order does not adopt that future definition or direct the assistant to submit the proposal to Congress.
What limits apply to implementation?
Implementation is subject to applicable law and available appropriations — money authorized for government spending. The order says it creates no enforceable right or benefit.
It also preserves existing agency authorities and the specified functions of the director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Office of Science and Technology Policy is responsible for the order’s publication costs.
