Trump says he will ban ‘AI’ from relevant documents in push for ‘super intelligence’
The president’s October 27 statement extends his campaign to replace the term ‘artificial intelligence,’ following a September directive to the executive branch.
President Donald Trump said on October 27 that his administration would officially ban the terms ‘AI’ and ‘artificial intelligence’ from relevant documents and elsewhere, calling the name inaccurate and pressing for ‘super intelligence’ instead, Variety reported. The statement could broaden a terminology change he had already directed within the US executive branch, although Trump did not say when or how the newly stated ban would take effect.
In a Truth Social post, Trump asked when The Wall Street Journal would start calling artificial intelligence ‘SI (Super Intelligence),’ a term he claimed virtually everyone else was using or soon would use. He described ‘AI’ as ‘a very bad and inaccurate name’ and said the terms would be officially banned ‘in all relevant documents, and everything else.’ Reuters also reported the post, including Trump’s question to the Journal.
How the September executive order fits in
The October post follows a September 29 executive order that, according to Variety, directed the executive branch to use ‘Super Intelligence’ and ‘SI’ in place of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘AI’ to the maximum extent permitted by law. The order described the preferred term as a better expression of the technologies’ ‘promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities.’ Its stated scope was federal executive-branch usage; Trump’s latest post used broader language without setting out a new mechanism.
That distinction matters for anyone reading government documents or hearing the president discuss the technology. The September directive describes an existing policy for executive-branch terminology. The October post states an intention to impose a further ban, but the reports do not establish that a new ban has taken effect or define what Trump meant by ‘everything else.’
How technology companies are using the terms
The preferred wording has drawn uneven responses from technology executives. Variety reported that OpenAI and Anthropic continued to use ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘AI’ to describe themselves. Elon Musk, by contrast, endorsed ‘SI’ in an X post earlier in October. His business is now called ‘SpaceX Super Intelligence,’ Variety reported, although its website remains x.ai.
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has also used ‘super intelligence,’ according to Variety. Microsoft had not announced a corresponding change to its product names. Those examples show the range of terminology in use as Trump presses his preferred name; his post did not explain whether private companies would be expected to change their wording.
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Sources and context
- Trump Says ‘Artificial Intelligence’ Is ‘a Very Bad and Inaccurate Name,’ and That He Wants to Officially Ban the Term ‘AI’Variety
- Trump says he will ban term artificial intelligenceReuters, carried by Channel NewsAsia
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.