US Federal Agencies Told to Say 'Super Intelligence' Instead of 'AI' From September 29, 2026
News Summary
On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the White House issued an executive order titled "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," directing U.S. federal executive branch departments and agencies to use the terms "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in place of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in their official communications. The order is a naming and terminology change for government documents, and it arrives at a moment when the vocabulary used to describe advanced computing systems is itself becoming a topic of public discussion.
What the Order Says
According to the White House fact sheet published on September 29, 2026, the order applies to official correspondence, public communications, government websites, reports, policy documents and other non-statutory materials produced by executive branch agencies. Under its terms, agencies are to stop using "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in those documents and adopt "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead.
The text explains the reasoning in terms of technical progress. It states that the technologies being developed today go well beyond what was envisioned when the phrase "Artificial Intelligence" first came into use, roughly 70 years ago. In the order's words, the term "Super Intelligence" more appropriately captures the promise, potential and rapidly advancing capabilities of these systems. The fact sheet also describes the technology as something that can unlock new forms of human creativity rather than merely imitating or automating human intelligence.
Scope and Implementation
The change is forward-looking. Previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, appropriations and other historical documents do not need to be revised, and statutory language is outside the order's reach. That means existing laws and agreements that contain the words "artificial intelligence" remain valid as written.
The order also assigns a follow-up task. The Assistant to the President for Science and Technology is asked to propose a federal definition of "Super Intelligence" and to recommend any additional executive actions needed to carry out the change. Until that definition is published, it is not yet clear how agencies will distinguish between systems the order now labels as SI and the broad range of software that has long been called AI.
Background Cited by the White House
The fact sheet places the order alongside several earlier federal technology initiatives. These include the $5 billion Genesis Mission, which is aimed at accelerating scientific breakthroughs, the July 2025 America's AI Action Plan, which listed more than 90 federal actions, and the March 2026 National Super Intelligence Policy Framework. The last of these suggests that the new vocabulary had already begun to appear in federal planning documents before the formal order.
A Separate Industry Accord
Reports from Fox Business and other outlets say the order was signed on September 29, 2026, following a White House summit with technology executives. Leaders from major American technology companies and research labs reportedly signed a separate, voluntary accord on Super Intelligence on the same day. The accord is described as emphasizing voluntary industry commitments, including internal controls and layers of internal and external review, rather than formal government rules.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the accord as a significant positive step, saying that the leaders of every major American lab had committed to implementing robust internal controls. The fact sheet itself does not list the accord's signatories, and no complete roster had been published in the coverage reviewed for this article.
Why the Word Matters for Technology Education
"Artificial intelligence" was coined in the mid-1950s, and over seven decades it has covered everything from simple rule-based programs to today's large language models and image generators. "Superintelligence," as a term, has a more specific history in academic and technical writing, where it usually refers to systems that would surpass human cognitive performance across most domains. Researchers have long used the two words to mean different things.
Because of that, educators and technical writers are likely to watch how the federal definition is worded. A clear definition would help students and the public understand which capabilities the word is meant to describe, while a loose one could blur the distinction between current tools and hypothetical future systems. For readers who follow the field, the practical takeaway is to check the context in which each term is used, since "AI" will continue to appear in laws, research papers, company products and international documents.
What to Watch Next
The most concrete next step is the definition of Super Intelligence that the science and technology adviser has been asked to deliver. Other things to follow include how individual agencies update their websites and reports, whether private companies and research institutions adopt the new wording, and how the voluntary accord's review practices are described in more detail. All times and dates in this report refer to U.S. Eastern Time unless otherwise stated.