Why the US government now calls AI “Super Intelligence”
A September 29 executive order renames AI in federal communications. It changes words, not rules, and it does not mean superintelligence has arrived.
- What happened
- On September 29, 2026, President Trump signed Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence”. It was published in the Federal Register on October 2.
- Who it covers
- Federal executive agencies, in their correspondence, websites, reports and other non-statutory documents. It sets no rules for companies or the public.
- What changes
- Agencies are to write “Super Intelligence” or “SI” where they would have written “artificial intelligence” or “AI”. The legal meaning stays the same for now.
What the order says
The order sets a policy that, “to the maximum extent permitted by law,” the executive branch “shall use the terms ‘Super Intelligence’ and ‘SI’ in place of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘AI’”.1 Agencies are told to use the new terms in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents and other non-statutory documents.1
It does not require agencies to rewrite anything already issued: “Nothing in this section requires the alteration of previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents.”1 Like most executive orders, it also says it creates no right or benefit that anyone can enforce in court.1
The stated reason is that today’s systems “far exceed what was envisioned” when the term artificial intelligence first came into use, and that “Super Intelligence” better captures “the promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities of these technologies.”1 The order was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2026, at 91 FR 63129.2
Same technology, new name
For now, “Super Intelligence” in federal documents means exactly what “artificial intelligence” already meant in law. The order defines the new terms as the technologies covered by the definition in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3),1 which describes “a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments.”3 That covers the AI tools in use today.
That is very different from how AI-risk researchers use the word. The philosopher Nick Bostrom’s widely cited definition of a superintelligence is “an intellect that is much smarter than the best human brains in practically every field, including scientific creativity, general wisdom and social skills.”4 The order does not say that any system has reached that level. When you read “SI” on a federal website, it means today’s AI, not a machine smarter than every human. Our guide what superintelligence means explains the research term.
The rename came six days after Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act (S. 5493), which uses the research sense of the word: AI that exceeds human performance across most domains, or that could “plan and execute the destruction or disempowerment of humanity”.5 The two documents use almost the same word for very different things. We explain the bill in the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, explained.
What people are saying
The order itself makes the case: the White House says current systems “increasingly amplify human ingenuity” and that federal terminology “should reflect the transformative capabilities of these technologies and the limitless opportunities they create for the American people.”1
Skeptics doubt a new label changes much. Lee Rainie, director of Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center, told The Center Square: “I’m not sure rebranding AI as ‘super intelligence’ will move the needle on the public’s views.”6
What it means for you
- 1Nothing changes in the tools you use. The order covers how federal agencies write. It sets no new rules for AI companies, products or users.1
- 2Read “SI” as “AI”. In federal documents the new term carries the existing legal definition of artificial intelligence until a new definition is set by the President or Congress.1
- 3Superintelligence has not been announced. The order renames current technology. The bigger question, whether AI much smarter than humans will be built, is still open. Start with what superintelligence is.
What happens next
- 29 Sep 2026 · doneExecutive Order 14434 signed
- 2 Oct 2026 · donePublished in the Federal Register (91 FR 63129)
- 28 Nov 2026Deadline (60 days after the order) for the President’s science adviser to propose legislative language for a federal definition of “Super Intelligence”
Sources
- [1]Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence (Executive Order 14434) · The White House · primary source · accessed 2026-10-15
- [2]Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, 91 FR 63129 (document 2026-20321) · Federal Register · primary source · accessed 2026-10-15
- [3]15 U.S. Code § 9401: Definitions · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · law · accessed 2026-10-15
- [4]How Long Before Superintelligence? (Nick Bostrom, 1997, revised 1998) · nickbostrom.com · paper · accessed 2026-10-15
- [5]Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act: section-by-section summary · Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders · primary source · accessed 2026-10-15
- [6]‘Super intelligence’ has some early takers, plenty of skepticism (The Center Square, Oct. 10, 2026) · Just The News · news report · accessed 2026-10-15