Executive Order 14434, signed on 29 September 2026, directs US executive agencies to use “Super Intelligence” (SI) instead of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) in nonstatutory communications, websites, reports and other materials. It also calls for proposed legislative language defining the term within 60 days.
For immediate implementation, the order refers to the existing federal statutory definition of artificial intelligence (15 U.S.C. § 9401(3)). This is therefore first a change in terminology and administrative policy: the order does not yet provide a distinct technical definition of superintelligence, nor does it demonstrate that such a system exists.
Why does this concern our research?
The decision invites us to distinguish a system’s observed capabilities, the terms institutions use and the obligations attached to them. A change of name can shape public debate, but it does not replace a precise technical definition or assessment of capabilities and risks.