Trump Executive Order Mandates Shift to "Super Intelligence"

On September 29, 2026, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (EO), "Inaugurating The Era of Super Intelligence." The order establishes an official policy across the executive branch to replace the terms "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" with "Super Intelligence" and "SI." Coinciding with the issuance of this EO, the White House convened leaders from major AI and tech companies to sign a parallel industry agreement. This blog post examines the EO and accompanying accord, as well as key practical considerations for our clients.

What Clients Need to Know

• Executive Branch Terminology Shift: Federal agencies must transition to "Super Intelligence" and "SI" across official correspondence, public communications, websites, and policy documents.
• Proposed Statutory Language: The Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST), Michael J. Kratsios, has 60 days to submit proposed statutory language to the President to formally define "Super Intelligence" in federal law.
• Parallel Voluntary Industry Agreement: Tech leaders signed a separate, voluntary agreement titled the “White House Accord on Super Intelligence.” The accord calls on companies developing and deploying frontier models to implement internal controls, monitoring and remediation processes, independent external assessments of those processes, and board-level oversight. We note this agreement does not create legally enforceable obligations or an enforcement mechanism.

Overview of Executive Order

Rebrand Mandate:

Under Section 2, executive departments and agencies are instructed to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in place of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in non-statutory documents, reports, and websites, and to cease acknowledging the former terms in applicable settings. We note the order does not require agencies to revise previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents.

Defining “Super Intelligence” Across Federal Law:

Section 3 provides that, for purposes of the order and except where otherwise provided by law, “Super Intelligence” and “SI” have the same meaning as “artificial intelligence” under 15 U.S.C. § 9401(3). By November 28, 2026 (within 60 days), the APST must submit proposed legislative language establishing a federal definition of those terms. The proposal must assess whether the new definition should modify, expand, or supersede the existing AI definition; identify appropriate conforming statutory amendments; and recommend any additional presidential or executive actions needed to implement it across the executive branch. 

Interplay with the "White House Accord on Super Intelligence"

On the same day the EO was issued, leaders of several major AI and tech companies signed a separate voluntary agreement, the “White House Accord on Super Intelligence”. The accord calls on companies training and deploying frontier models to implement robust internal controls; establish internal monitoring, detection, and remediation processes; obtain independent external assessments of those processes; and provide for independent board-level oversight. Although that term “Super Intelligence” appears in the accord’s title, we note that the accord does not expressly require signatories to adopt the Administration’s rebranding. Furthermore, the agreement does not itself create legally enforceable obligations or an enforcement mechanism.

Key Takeaways

• Federal Solicitations and Communications: Entities interacting with executive branch agencies, including federal contractors, grant applicants, and companies filing regulatory comments, should expect and prepare for agency solicitations, forms, and official correspondence to adopt the "Super Intelligence" nomenclature going forward.
• Monitor the forthcoming 60-day legislative proposal: Any statutory definition of “Super Intelligence” could shape the scope of future federal incentives, export controls, oversight, compliance obligations, government-contract requirements, and potentially the interpretation of existing AI-related statutory and contractual provisions. We note that any proposed statutory definition could also serve as a foundation for future federal legislation.

No Mandatory Obligations for Industry: Notably, the industry accord is strictly voluntary and creates no new licensing, preclearance, or mandatory disclosure obligations for AI developers.

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