Brief

Trump pushes “super intelligence” label for AI amid industry pushback

The president’s executive order to rename artificial intelligence faces skepticism from CEOs and industry analysts.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:46:11 GMT

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday directing U.S. federal agencies to refer to artificial intelligence as “super intelligence” (SI) in official documents, a move he promoted during a White House press event with top tech CEOs.

What happened

During a press briefing outside the White House, Trump declared, “It’s not AI, it’s SI,” and urged reporters to drop the term “artificial” because, in his view, it makes intelligence sound fake. The order, signed on Tuesday, applies only to government communications and has no legal effect on private companies.

What the reports add

The Independent reports that insiders told Politico the renaming is unlikely to be adopted by the broader tech sector. While some firms might use the term in dealings with the government, most are expected to continue using “artificial intelligence.” The article notes that Trump made the announcement after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and claims Xi’s administration supports the idea.

What was said

Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the Chamber of Progress, told Politico, “It is a way for the CEOs to signal fealty to the president. No one in the industry is about to start calling it superintelligence. It’s like Gulf of America and Lake America.”

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, present at the White House event, has previously called for a slowdown in AI development to address risks, according to Getty images cited in the report.

Tech researcher Adam Thierer of the R Street Institute warned Politico that the term “superintelligence” adds confusion because it means different things to different people.

How it came about

The rebranding effort follows a series of Trump‑era name changes, including a September 23 UN speech where he first introduced the “super intelligence” label (see previous Felo coverage). Earlier in September, Trump and leading AI CEOs signed a voluntary safety accord, but the executive order to rename AI was issued after that pledge and after criticism that the administration was avoiding regulation.

Key facts

President Trump signed an executive order to have federal agencies call AI "super intelligence". (independent.co.uk)
Tech insiders say the new term is unlikely to be adopted by the private sector. (independent.co.uk)
Adam Kovacevich said CEOs may use the term only to signal loyalty to the president. (independent.co.uk)
The order has no legal effect on private companies. (independent.co.uk)
Trump made the announcement after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (independent.co.uk)