Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, President Donald Trump directed all US government documents to replace the term "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence," arguing that the word "artificial" makes the technology sound fake.
Trump framed the rebrand as part of a broader competitive argument. His declaration came with a consequential policy position: the US should prioritise developing increasingly powerful AI over regulating its risks, with Trump stating, "Whoever wins SI, whoever wins super intelligence wins."
At the UN, Trump dismissed fears about AI as a "hoax," brushing aside warnings from tech experts that the technology is growing faster than companies understand, comparing the warnings to past environmental predictions.
During his speech, Trump outlined his opposition to new regulations on AI, but said US law enforcement agencies would rein in the sector if needed.
The concerns fuelled debate in Washington over whether to regulate the technology, with Trump pushing for less regulation to ensure the US beats China in the AI race.
Trump has pushed to rebrand AI in recent days amid protests over data centres and concerns about job displacement, with concerns intensifying after researchers at Anthropic and OpenAI warned that the technology is growing exponentially smarter in ways they do not fully understand themselves.
"Super intelligence" is a term close to artificial super intelligence (ASI), a theoretical stage above AI and artificial general intelligence : a benchmark no company in the field has yet claimed to reach.
AI is set to be a major topic this week, not only at the UN General Assembly but also when Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for a state visit with Trump.
On the sidelines, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK would launch an effort to establish global AI standards during its 2027 G20 presidency.
