WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (Infinite Headlines) — President Donald J. Trump’s executive order changes how the executive branch names artificial intelligence. It does not, by itself, establish that machines have reached the much higher level of ability commonly described as superintelligence.
Signed on September 29, 2026, Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” directs executive departments and agencies to replace “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” with “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in official communications, to the maximum extent permitted by law.
The policy concerns government language and a possible future change in federal definitions—not the launch of a new technology product.
What changes in government communications?
The order covers official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents and other executive-branch documents that are not statutes, the laws enacted by Congress.
The administration says the new terminology is intended to reflect the technology’s advancing capabilities and promise. The order’s descriptions of the abilities of frontier systems—the most advanced systems—are the administration’s claims, rather than independent verification that superintelligence exists.
The naming requirement is not a direction to rewrite every federal record. The order does not require changes to previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants or other historical documents.
Does “SI” now mean something different from “AI”?
For purposes of the order, generally no. Except where the law provides otherwise, “Super Intelligence” and “SI” cover the same technologies and systems as the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. § 9401(3), according to the order.
That incorporated definition remains in effect unless a later lawful presidential action or an act of Congress replaces it. The immediate change is therefore in terminology, not in the scope of the technology category used by the order.
The order also calls for work on a possible new federal definition, but it does not adopt one.
What does superintelligence mean as a concept?
Philosopher Nick Bostrom uses a substantially more demanding definition in his book Superintelligence: an intellect that greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all areas of interest.
Under that concept, being unusually good at one task would not be enough. The defining feature is performance far beyond human ability across nearly all relevant areas, rather than excellence in a narrow field.
Bostrom’s concept is distinct from the executive order’s use of “SI” as a replacement label for the existing legal category of AI.
What is an “intelligence explosion”?
The Machine Intelligence Research Institute describes an intelligence explosion as a possible process in which a machine becomes better than humans at designing AI and then improves its own intelligence through a feedback loop.
In that scenario, improved intelligence could help the machine make further improvements to itself. The institute presents this as a possibility, not as an observed consequence of the executive order.
What happens next?
Within 60 days of September 29, 2026, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology must submit proposed legislative language to the president—not directly to Congress—under the order. The assistant may consult 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 amendments to other statutes and recommend any further presidential or executive action.
Implementation remains subject to applicable law and available appropriations, meaning the funding made available by Congress. The order says it creates no enforceable right or benefit. It preserves existing agency authorities and the specified functions of the Office of Management and Budget director, and assigns the costs of publishing the order to the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
