US President Donald Trump has announced a major terminology change for Artificial Intelligence (AI), saying the US government will officially refer to AI as “Super Intelligence” (SI). He made the announcement during a high-profile White House luncheon with some of the world’s biggest technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jensen Huang. The announcement comes days after Trump first floated the idea of replacing the term “Artificial Intelligence” during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
On Tuesday, he indicated that the change would be formally reflected in US government communications. Reports said Trump signed an executive order directing federal departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in official correspondence, public communications, policy documents and other non-statutory documents.
What did Trump say?
Speaking to reporters ahead of the luncheon, Trump described the technology in sweeping terms and stressed its potential impact on the United States. “It is the biggest thing there is ā maybe the biggest thing there’s ever been. It’s much bigger than the Internet,” Trump said, as per ANI.Ā He further said the US was witnessing extraordinary growth in technology and suggested that the country was in a position to benefit significantly from advances in next-generation computing and AI systems. He also indicated that the administration would focus on preventing misuse while allowing the technology to develop rapidly. “These models are very complex and again, I believe they’re going to be used for the good ā and when they’re not, we’re going to be able to nab them,” Trump said.
Why Trump wants AI called ‘Super Intelligence’
Trump’s proposed terminology is not simply a new technical definition of AI. He has argued that the word “artificial” makes the technology sound less real or less capable than it actually is. He had previously said that US documents should use “Super Intelligence” instead of “Artificial Intelligence”, although the timing and mechanism of implementing the change were initially unclear. The White House has now moved to formalise the terminology within the federal executive branch.Ā
There is, however, an important distinction in the technology world. “Superintelligence” is already an established term in AI research and generally refers to hypothetical systems whose intellectual capabilities would substantially exceed those of humans across a broad range ofĀ areas. A 2026 White House economic report also distinguishes superintelligence from existing forms of AI and notes that the definition remains debated.
Musk, Zuckerberg, Pichai and Huang among tech leaders at White House
The White House luncheon brought together several of the most influential figures in the technology industry. The gathering included Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang.
Other prominent technology executives were also present, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and AMD CEO Lisa Su were also among the executives associated with the meeting.Ā The meeting focused not only on the rapid expansion of AI but also on questions surrounding safety, oversight, data centres and the industry’s responsibility for managing the technology.
Trump pushes companies to work with communities hosting data centres
Trump also addressed the infrastructure demands created by the rapid growth of AI. Data centres require substantial computing capacity and have become an important part of the technology industry’s expansion.
He said technology companies should work closely with local communities where such facilities are established. Trump said companies would contribute financially and otherwise to those communities and could support local schools and teachers.
“There’s something else that was discussed and that’s local communities… They’re going to work with local communities for the data centers, in particular ā and they’re going to work to make the community happyā¦ The companies will be very generous with them, both financially and otherwise. I think they’ll help with their schools, they’ll help with their teachers… They’re going to be forming partnerships with communities when they open up data centers,” Trump said.Ā The issue has become increasingly important as the expansion of AI requires more computing infrastructure and places greater demands on the communities hosting data centres.
Tech companies agree to voluntary AI safety framework
The White House meeting also produced a separate voluntary agreement involving leading technology companies. Trump described the commitment as a framework for companies to strengthen their own oversight of AI development.
The agreement focuses on internal controls and independent reviews intended to increase confidence in how AI systems are developed and deployed. Reuters reported that participating companies agreed to work with independent auditors and establish stronger safeguards around their systems.
The initiative has been presented as an industry-led approach rather than a new comprehensive federal regulatory regime. Trump has repeatedly argued against measures that could slow the pace of AI development, while stressing that companies should take responsibility for ensuring the technology is used safely.
Zuckerberg says accord is aimed at building public trust
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the agreement was intended to reassure users and the wider public that AI companies were putting safeguards in place.Ā “We want to give the American people and our customers confidence that the technology works in the way we intended,” Zuckerberg said.
The agreement therefore puts significant emphasis on industry responsibility and oversight as AI systems become increasingly capable and are integrated into more areas of everyday life.
US sees AI leadership as a national security priority
The discussion also extended beyond commercial technology and into national security. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton highlighted the strategic importance of maintaining American leadership in AI.Ā “The consensus today around that national security issue was being a leader in America in AI is the most important thing for national security,” Clayton said.Ā The White House meeting thus brought together several strands of the US administration’s AI strategy, including technological leadership, national security, infrastructure expansion, industry self-regulation and the terminology Trump wants federal agencies to adopt.
(With inputs from ANI)
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