California Governor Gavin Newsom answered President Donald Trump’s federal push to call artificial intelligence “Super Intelligence” with an order telling California agencies to keep using “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI.” Its preamble argues that changing the name cannot obscure what Newsom describes as failures to address AI safety and security risks. The two directives apply to government communications—not to everyone’s everyday language.
What did Gavin Newsom say about Trump’s AI rebrand?
In the preamble to California Executive Order N-10-26, signed September 30, 2026, Newsom wrote: “Purporting to change something’s name cannot distract a person of normal intelligence from recognizing the impotent and craven failure to take action to address well-documented emerging security and safety risks posed by that thing.” The order’s text makes that criticism as part of its argument for retaining the established terms.
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The line is a pointed political jab, but its wording matters: the claim that officials have failed to address the risks is Newsom’s characterization, not an independent finding established by the order. The order itself does not name Trump and does not use “Super Intelligence” or “SI.” Contemporary reporting by The San Francisco Standard on October 1 described the California directive as a response to the federal announcement the day before.
Did Trump rename AI to “Super Intelligence”?
Not for everyone. On September 29, 2026, Trump signed a federal executive order directing executive-branch departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in specified official settings. The White House’s fact sheet says those settings include official correspondence, public communications, policy documents and non-statutory documents, and says agencies should not acknowledge “Artificial Intelligence” or “AI” in them. The White House presented the terminology change as a reflection of the technology’s capabilities and promise. Read the White House fact sheet.
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The directive governs federal executive-branch usage in the described settings. It does not itself require private companies, state governments or individuals to adopt the new label.
What does Newsom’s executive order do?
California’s order directs agencies and departments subject to Newsom’s authority to refer to the technology as “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI,” notwithstanding different or rebranded federal terminology. That direction applies unless using those terms would be inconsistent with law. It is a rule for the covered California government entities, not a requirement imposed on private Californians.
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The order opens by acknowledging that “language and choice of terminology can have significance,” then argues that a change in terminology does not resolve the safety and security concerns it raises. Its operative instruction is narrower and administrative: state agencies under the governor’s authority should continue using the established terms, subject to the legal exception.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHow the two directives differ
| Issue | Federal directive | California directive |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer and date | President Donald Trump, September 29, 2026 | Governor Gavin Newsom, September 30, 2026 |
| Who it covers | Federal executive-branch departments and agencies | California agencies and departments subject to the governor’s authority |
| Preferred terms | “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in specified settings | “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” |
| Contexts described | Official correspondence, public communications, policy documents and non-statutory documents; the White House says not to acknowledge “Artificial Intelligence” or “AI” in those settings | Agency and department usage, unless using “Artificial Intelligence” or “AI” would be inconsistent with law |
| Stated rationale | The White House says the new wording reflects the technology’s capabilities and promise | The order says renaming does not address emerging safety and security risks |
The directives therefore establish competing terminology rules within different governments. California’s response does not cancel or amend the federal directive; each addresses the entities within its respective authority.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does “superintelligence” mean the same thing as AI?
Not necessarily. The San Francisco Standard’s October 1, 2026 coverage noted that “superintelligence” is commonly written as one word in technology contexts and that its meaning is disputed. It quoted AI professor and Evitable founder David Krueger describing superintelligence as AI that is “vastly superhuman” and very difficult or impossible to control. That is a named expert’s characterization, not a universally accepted definition or a synonym that all researchers use for AI generally.
The same report described mixed reactions around the White House event rather than uniform adoption of “SI.” It reported that Elon Musk briefly corrected himself from “AI” to “SI” and later used “AI,” while the heads of Google, OpenAI and Anthropic did not use “SI” during the press conference. Those examples do not establish what every company or technology leader will call the field.
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