President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order replacing the term artificial intelligence with super intelligence across the executive branch. The directive coincided with a White House tech summit where industry leaders signed a voluntary self-regulation accord and executives discussed data center expansion amid local pushback.
The White House convened top technology executives on Tuesday for what President Donald Trump described as an extraordinary gathering of minds building the nation’s next era. The meeting brought together leaders from major artificial intelligence firms, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Meta, Google, and SpaceX. Within the same window, the administration formally shifted official federal nomenclature, issuing a directive that alters how government bodies classify the technology.
Federal Executive Order Mandates Super Intelligence Terminology
Under a newly signed Executive Order, all federal departments and agencies must drop the terms artificial intelligence and AI in official correspondence, public communications, and policy documents, replacing them instead with super intelligence and SI. The directive instructs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to draft a federal definition reflecting the current technological frontier.
The administration argued that the older terminology implies mere imitation or automation of human capacity, whereas the new designation captures capabilities designed to unlock human creativity. This executive step builds on previous federal initiatives, including the White House AI Action Plan released in July 2025 and a comprehensive national policy framework introduced in March 2026. The government has committed more than $5 billion to the Genesis Mission, a national initiative aimed at accelerating breakthroughs in science, medicine, energy, and manufacturing using advanced computing systems.
Voluntary Accord Signed at the White House Tech Summit
The accord establishes that participating firms remain responsible for ensuring their own technology’s safety. Companies agreed to implement operational safeguards, maintain model integrity, and collaborate with independent auditors to examine whether their platforms operate as intended without unauthorized system access.
Reaction from outside researchers was mixed. While industry participants praised the dialogue, governance researchers voiced skepticism regarding the lack of enforcement mechanisms. Nanyang Technological University researcher Jose Miguelito Enriquez noted that the pact demonstrates an emerging consensus but avoids questions of developer accountability for incidents. University of Sydney law professor Kimberlee Weatheral called the agreement deeply unimpressive
and argued that it allows firms to define safety standards without specified penalties for breaches.
Infrastructure Expansion and Community Resistance to Data Centers
Beyond software governance, the summit addressed the physical infrastructure required to sustain modern computing models. Trump reaffirmed his backing for the rapid construction of data centers across the country. However, this expansion faces significant domestic hurdles, including high electricity consumption and local community pushback.
Polling data indicates friction between development plans and public opinion. A survey conducted by Marist Poll in partnership with NPR and PBS News found that 65% of registered voters opposed building data centers in their local areas. The issue has also developed into a potential political vulnerability for the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.
