The U.S. government has changed the label used in certain executive-branch communications, not established that today’s AI systems have become superintelligent. Executive Order 14434 directs covered agencies to use “Super Intelligence” (SI) in place of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI), while initially defining SI by reference to the existing statutory definition of AI.
What changed—and what did not?
Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” dated September 29, 2026, directs executive departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in specified communications, to the maximum extent permitted by law. The order applies to official correspondence, public communications, agency websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory executive-branch documents. It does not, by its terms, prescribe what researchers, companies, news organizations, or the public must call these systems.
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The order’s language reflects the administration’s rationale, not an independent technical finding. President Donald J. Trump wrote: “Accordingly, the term ‘Super Intelligence’ more appropriately captures the promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities of these technologies.” The operative definition in the order, however, points to existing law rather than declaring that a new capability threshold has been reached.
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For implementation of the order, “Super Intelligence” and “SI” mean technologies and systems encompassed by the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. § 9401(3), unless a later definition supersedes it as provided in the order. In practical terms, the initial definition changes the name applied in covered communications while retaining the existing statutory scope.
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The order also directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to submit proposed legislative language within 60 days. That proposal is to assess whether a new definition should modify or supersede the existing statutory one and identify related amendments or additional executive action. The direction to prepare a proposal is not itself a new enacted definition.
Does this mean AI has become superintelligent?
No technical conclusion follows from the terminology directive alone. “Super Intelligence” is the administration’s preferred label for the systems covered by the order for now; the order’s definition links it to existing AI law. Its aspirational description of rapidly advancing capabilities should therefore be distinguished from its operative legal scope. The label itself is not proof that a system has crossed a scientific or engineering threshold into superintelligence.
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Which documents are affected?
The directive concerns specified executive-branch communications and documents, with the qualification “to the maximum extent permitted by law.” The order says agencies need not alter previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents. That means readers may encounter both labels in federal materials, depending on when a document was issued and what kind of document it is.
Why can “artificial intelligence” mean different things?
There is no single definition used in every institution or setting. NASA’s explainer says there is no single, simple definition of AI and presents an adopted federal definition alongside examples of related fields. The international standard ISO/IEC 22989:2022 establishes terminology and describes AI concepts to support communication among organizations. NIST’s live glossary lists multiple definitions and identifies the source documents they come from. These sources serve different purposes; a definition should be read in its stated legal, standards, or institutional context.
The executive order is therefore a particular federal usage rule, not a universal rewrite of technical vocabulary. When a document uses “AI,” “SI,” or “superintelligence,” the useful questions are who issued it, what definition it adopts, and whether the term is being used as a legal category, a standards term, or a claim about capability.
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How to read the new label
- In covered executive-branch material: “Super Intelligence” or “SI” is the label the order directs agencies to use where legally permitted.
- For the order’s current scope: SI refers to systems encompassed by the existing statutory definition of AI.
- For technical claims: Look for a stated capability definition and evidence; do not infer a capability change from a naming change.
- For older federal records and other organizations: The order does not require rewriting specified historical documents or dictate terminology outside its covered executive-branch setting.
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