One month after President Trump signed an executive order mandating that government agencies replace the term “artificial intelligence” with “Super Intelligence,” the new terminology is struggling to gain traction. The directive, which selected “Super Intelligence” over alternatives like “Extreme Intelligence” and “Supreme Intelligence” following a poll on X, has created a complex landscape of compliance and resistance across the federal government and the private sector.
Government agencies struggle with transition
The rebrand has already begun to appear in official documents, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement issuing a request for companies to build “SI-powered” surveillance for detention facilities. Many government websites have silently swapped the old terminology, while others, such as the National Institutes of Health, have added banners warning visitors that both terms may appear during the transition period.
However, the implementation has been inconsistent. The Pentagon announced a new warfare study initiative called Project Meridian using the old terminology just one day after the order was signed. Recent press releases from the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services have also failed to adopt the mandated two-word, capitalized version. Some agencies, including the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office at the Pentagon, continue to use the original term, as the executive order does not apply to previously issued regulations or documents.
Government employees are also finding the transition difficult. One researcher at a national lab admitted to repeatedly using the old term before acknowledging the slip-up. Even Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used the original terminology in an interview on October 3, highlighting the difficulty of changing established vocabulary within the federal workforce.
Tech leaders and media resist the change
The pushback extends beyond government walls. President Trump criticized the Wall Street Journal for not using the new term, suggesting that a future rule might outright ban the original terminology from government documents. Yet, even outlets supportive of the administration, such as Newsmax, have not adopted the change.
Among Big Tech executives, the response has been mixed. Six major technology leaders signed the White House Accord on Super Intelligence on the same day the executive order was issued. However, an analysis of third-quarter earnings calls by CNBC revealed that only Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Elon Musk of xAI used the new term consistently. Zuckerberg’s usage is not a new development, as Meta has referred to the technology as superintelligence since last year. Musk has pledged to rename SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, though he continues to mix both terms in his posts on X.
Executives from Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet continued to use the original terminology in their earnings calls. Microsoft did refer to the “Super Intelligence era” in a recent letter to shareholders, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has referenced the term, but both companies continue to use the original language in most communications.
Concerns over political loyalty and national discourse
The rebrand has raised concerns that the terminology is becoming a political loyalty test. The Trump administration previously barred the Associated Press from some White House press events after the news outlet did not adopt the term “Gulf of America.” With artificial intelligence being a central topic in the national conversation, with two-thirds of Americans reporting interaction with the technology multiple times a week, the stakes are higher than with previous rebrands.
The executive order also requires federal agency leaders to draft a new legislative definition of the term by the end of the month. Critics argue that this process wastes taxpayer dollars and time, with government employees spending resources on rebranding guides rather than substantive work.
More significantly, there are concerns about the impact on public discourse. Artificial intelligence has historically been a topic of broad interest that does not map neatly onto partisan divisions. Turning the terminology into a loyalty test could stifle these conversations, as individuals may avoid discussing the technology if they fear being judged for their word choice. With artificial intelligence ranking as a top issue for voters in the upcoming midterm elections, the rebrand could hinder the national conversation about how this technology will shape American life.
Source: MIT Technology Review
