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President Donald Trump has declared that anyone who uses the term "artificial intelligence" instead of "super intelligence" will be considered "the enemy" of the White House. This statement was made on Thursday (October 8) via Trump's Truth Social account, following his recent executive order to rebrand AI as "super intelligence."
The executive order, signed last month, requires federal departments and agencies to use "super intelligence" or "SI" in place of "artificial intelligence" or "AI" in official communications. According to Politico, Trump is pushing this rebranding to cast a more positive light on the technology, which has faced scrutiny over safety and security concerns. The White House insists that the term "super intelligence" is more accurate and widely accepted.
Despite the executive order, the White House's rebranding efforts do not extend to private companies. However, some businesses, like SpaceX, have announced plans to adopt the new terminology. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated on X that the company's AI unit would be renamed SpaceXSI, aligning with Trump's directive.
Critics argue that enforcing such language changes could infringe on First Amendment rights. Business Insider reports that some industry leaders have expressed skepticism about the rebranding. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, for instance, has dismissed the possibility of renaming his company, stating that they will continue to use the term "artificial intelligence."
The rebranding has sparked a surge in demand for ".si" domain names, typically used for Slovenian websites, as reported by the BBC. In September alone, 44,000 ".si" domains were registered, marking a significant increase from the previous month.
As the debate over terminology continues, it remains to be seen how other tech companies will respond to the White House's push for "super intelligence."