MIT Technology Review: AI rebrand could become a loyalty test

According to MIT Technology Review, an executive order signed by Trump at the end of September directed government agencies to call artificial intelligence “Super Intelligence,” or “SI.” The stated rationale is that current systems amplify human ingenuity rather than merely imitate intelligence. The term has already appeared in government solicitations and was silently added to many official websites, while some agencies display notices that both expressions may appear during the transition.

The publication argues that the change could go beyond vocabulary and become a political loyalty test, with use of the new term signaling support for the administration. The rollout has had lapses, however: the Pentagon used the old terminology for a new project, a Federal Trade Commission release used “superintelligence” in a different form, and recent Health and Human Services releases showed no sign of the change. Government employees and even Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also continued to use “AI.”