President Donald Trump has directed all executive branch departments and agencies to replace the term “artificial intelligence” with “super intelligence” in official use, as part of an executive order signed on September 29, 2026. The move came during a White House lunch with key technology executives, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, SpaceX and Tesla’s Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai. Trump’s rebranding effort aims to highlight the promise of rapidly advancing technology despite growing public apprehension and criticism regarding AI’s risks.

The executive order, titled “Inaugurating The Era Of Super Intelligence,” mandates this change across all government communications and documents, signaling Trump’s attempt to reshape the narrative around AI amidst mounting concerns. Polls reveal a majority of Americans are uneasy about AI development and disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue, with only 25% approving his approach according to a Quinnipiac poll released the same day. The president, however, dismisses fears about AI’s dangers as a “hoax,” emphasizing the U.S.’s need to maintain global supremacy over China in AI innovation.

During the event, a separate “White House Accord on Super Intelligence” was signed by Trump and six tech leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei. The document focuses on voluntary commitments by companies to ensure AI technology is developed safely, recommending multiple layers of internal and external review. Trump described the agreement as “morally binding,” though it lacks formal regulatory force.

Critics, like Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, view Trump’s rebranding as insufficient for addressing the real risks posed by AI’s rapid evolution. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson backed the industry’s voluntary safety measures, underscoring the balance between innovation and safeguards. Despite the political and public challenges, Trump insists on pushing forward with his strategy, even as AI becomes a pivotal issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.