U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday, Oct. 8 that the White House will treat anyone who does not adopt the term "super intelligence" in place of artificial intelligence (AI) as "THE ENEMY," according to a post on his Truth Social platform.
[11]
White House Rebrands AI as "Super Intelligence"
The White House has updated portions of its website to replace references to AI with "SI," shorthand for "super intelligence," even as the government's primary AI domain remains
ai.gov, according to reporting on the changes. Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to use the terms "SI" and "Super Intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence"
[1][2].
Trump first announced the terminology shift during an address to the United Nations General Assembly, telling the assembly, "Welcome to the new world of super intelligence - SI," according to the
BBC [3]. Some people close to the president have adopted the term, though experts told the
BBC it is unlikely to gain widespread traction in the technology industry
[3].
The president said the word "artificial" makes the technology sound fake, adding, "It's not fake. It's actually amazing. We have to be careful," according to his remarks
[4].
Musk, Industry Figures Adopt Term
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Sunday, Oct. 4, on X that he will rename his AI company from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI – reflecting the administration's preferred terminology, according to the post. The change follows Trump's presentation on Thursday of National Medals of Science to Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, among other recipients
[5].
Trump awarded medals to what he called "six national treasures" during a summit at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington. Google cofounder Sergey Brin, AMD CEO Lisa Su and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell were also among those recognized for their roles in advancing U.S. technology innovation
[5].
The awards and Musk's statement came after the administration's push for the "super intelligence" terminology, which Trump has framed as part of an American "Golden Age" of science and technology
[6].
Safety Concerns and Guardrails Remain
The technology has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and experts about whether it has appropriate guardrails to address safety and security concerns. Researchers including mathematician and futurist Ben Goertzel have warned that artificial general intelligence could surpass human intelligence by 2027, decades earlier than previous predictions
[7].
Coxon likened the rise of AI to the U.S. Manhattan Project
[8][9]. In contrast, Trump has largely brushed off calls to rein in AI development.
He has said the only guardrail needed for AI is a "strong and smart" president, dismissing warnings about the technology's risks
[10]. The president met with tech executives at the White House to vouch for the technology as positive for economic growth and national security
[2].
Broader Rebranding Pattern Draws Attention
Trump has sought to rebrand several things during his presidency, including calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario as Lake America. His administration sought to block the
Associated Press from parts of the White House for not adopting his preferred name for the southern gulf, according to reporting on the dispute.
The White House website changes and the "super intelligence" directive follow that pattern, officials said. The president has also taken the rebranding to international settings, rejecting global AI controls at the United Nations and framing the technology as a matter of national competition rather than international governance
[12].
At the same time, some in the technology industry have begun using the term, though experts remain skeptical it will replace the established "artificial intelligence" label
[3]. The debate has unfolded as the administration has announced the creation of an "AI Force" and plans to appoint an AI czar
[13].
Conclusion
The president's Truth Social post declaring that anyone using the term "artificial intelligence" is "THE ENEMY" marks the most direct articulation yet of an administration effort to control the language surrounding the technology. While the White House has updated its website and issued executive orders requiring the use of "super intelligence," the term remains far from universal. Experts told the BBC it is unlikely to gain widespread traction in the industry
[3]. The policy debate continues as researchers warn of risks and the administration pushes for rapid development
[7][10].
References
- From AI to “Super Intelligence”: Are Machine Rights Next?. https://thenewamerican.com/us/tech/from-ai-to-super-intelligence-are-machine-rights-next/
- Three takeaways from Trump's 'Super Intelligence' summit. https://bbc.com/news/articles/cme30dz5vkzko
- Will Trump's AI rebrand as 'super intelligence' catch on? https://bbc.com/news/articles/cqy4z9pv4w0po
- “Super Intelligence”: Trump Rejects Global AI Controls at UN General Assembly. https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-09-24-super-intelligence-trump-rejects-global-ai-controls.html
- Trump Honors Tech Leaders With Nation’s Top Awards in Science and Technology. https://theepochtimes.com/us/trump-honors-tech-leaders-with-nations-top-awards-in-science-and-technology-6101313
- Trump and Musk, Together Again, Point at Mars. https://thenewamerican.com/us/tech/trump-and-musk-together-again-point-at-mars/
- AI Capabilities Accelerate Toward Superintelligence, Raising Concerns Over Control. https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-05-18-ai-capabilities-accelerate-toward-superintelligence-raising-concerns.html
- Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned, warning that AI firms "AI could kill us all, are gambling with our lives" - He likened the rise of AI to the US Manhattan Project - Sept. 10th. clip 1. https://www.brighteon.com/embed/c9e18057-3448-4007-8a70-532a76cf67aa
- American AI engineers are increasingly freaking out over fears that cutting-edge models could spiral out of control - Sept 10th, clip. https://www.brighteon.com/11efceac-38cf-4e4c-9559-25e1ad1cd2ce
- President Trump Says There Is a “SICK” Conspiracy Against AI And Data Centers – Only Guardrail Needed Is a “STRONG AND SMART” President. https://100percentfedup.com/president-trump-says-there-is-sick-conspiracy-against/
- Trump says anyone who does not refer to AI as ‘super intelligence’ is ‘THE ENEMY'. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/08/trump-ai-super-intelligence-renaming-01112404
- Trump Renames AI to 'Super Intelligence,' Rejects UN Control. https://www.brighteon.com/6686f127-9a23-4c9c-8fe4-e7e0c92325c3
- Trump announces “AI Force” as industry leaders warn of unchecked risks. https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-09-21-trump-announces-ai-force-leaders-warn-of-risks.html
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