Donald Trump Changes AI Name to SI, for Unexpected Reasons
US President Donald Trump has made an unexpected announcement before the United Nations General Assembly. He has ordered all US government agencies to cease using the term ‘artificial intelligence’ and replace it with a new name: ‘super intelligence.’
Trump believes this step will change how the world perceives the technology, while simultaneously triggering a debate regarding the true meaning of AI, according to a report by Futurism on Wednesday (23/9/2026).
“The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is inaccurate and does not sound elegant,” Trump stated before world leaders. “From this point forward, all official United States documents will use a far more accurate term, ‘super intelligence.’ I hope other nations follow suit.”
The name change originated from Trump’s social media posts several days prior. He proposed several alternative options, including “superior intelligence”, “super intelligence”, and “supreme intelligence.”
From these three options, Trump officially selected “super intelligence.” Trump reasoned that the word “artificial” gives the impression of something inauthentic, imitative, or of lesser value. In his view, the capabilities of these systems have already surpassed human abilities in many respects, making them worthy of a higher-status name.
This decision has elicited varied responses. Supporters claim the change is appropriate because AI capabilities are advancing and becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from human abilities. They argue the new name reflects the true power currently being developed.
Conversely, linguists and scientists argue that the change is inappropriate. They note that the word “artificial” in the original term does not imply something inferior, but rather indicates that the system is man-made rather than naturally occurring. Replacing it with “super” is viewed as exaggerating capabilities that may not yet truly exist.
Critics suggest this move is simply a characteristic Trump rhetorical style, involving renaming things without changing their substance. Previously, he has frequently changed the nomenclature of certain policies or groups to spark controversy. For instance, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and changed the nomenclature of the Department of Defence to the Department of War.
The United States’ decision could influence how other nations refer to and perceive AI. If other countries adopt the terminology, public perception of the technology could shift from something “created by others” to something “extraordinarily powerful.”
In Indonesia, many have begun referring to AI as “akal imitasi” (imitation intellect) as an Indonesian equivalent for “kecerdasan buatan” to fit its acronym. Regarding regulation, the Indonesian government has promised to publish a national AI roadmap in the near future, consisting of ethical and security guidelines.