The term “artificial intelligence” has been part of the global lexicon since the 1950s, but Donald Trump wants to change that with a single signature.
Trump signed a sweeping agreement with big tech leaders last week, formally proposing to replace “artificial intelligence” with the term “super intelligence.”
The agreement, intended to project technological authority and ambition, managed to misspell “United States” in the process.
The rebrand follows a recognisable pattern for Trump, who has long favoured name changes as a substitute for substantive policy decisions.
From NAFTA becoming the USMCA to the Gulf of Mexico being rebranded as the Gulf of America, cosmetic alterations have been a consistent feature of his political playbook.
The latest move comes as artificial intelligence grows increasingly unpopular with the public, amid mounting concerns about AI agents escaping their sandboxes and hacking other companies.
Rather than addressing those concerns directly, Trump responded to the pressure by brainstorming a new nickname and signing an agreement around it.
The inadequacy of that response became immediately apparent when a reporter attempted to press Trump on the question of liability for autonomous AI hacking directly after the signing.
Instead of addressing the substance of the question, Trump cut off the reporter and redirected attention to the fact that it is now called “SI.”
The exchange encapsulates a broader criticism of the administration’s approach to one of the most consequential technological shifts of the modern era, offering branding where policy is needed.
With AI systems growing more autonomous and incidents of AI-related security breaches drawing public scrutiny, the pressure on governments to produce meaningful regulatory frameworks is intensifying.
Renaming the technology does nothing to resolve questions about accountability, liability, or oversight, concerns that are unlikely to disappear simply because the acronym has changed from “AI” to “SI.”
Trump has described his new terminology with characteristic confidence, and big tech leaders were present at the signing, lending the rebrand a veneer of industry endorsement.
Whether “super intelligence” gains traction beyond the agreement itself remains to be seen, particularly given that artificial intelligence carries brand recognition that rivals some of the most established names in history.