Trump Wants AI Called 'Super Intelligence' — but Will the Name Stick?

According to BBC Business, President Donald Trump wants artificial intelligence (AI) to be referred to as "super intelligence," and some of those close to him have already started using the phrase.

The shift in terminology reflects an apparent effort to change how the technology is discussed publicly, though it remains unclear how far the new usage extends beyond the president's immediate circle at this stage.

Doubts among experts

Experts cited in the report say they are skeptical the rebranding will succeed in replacing "artificial intelligence" as the standard term. The word "superintelligence" is already established within AI research circles, where it typically denotes a hypothetical system whose capabilities would greatly exceed human intelligence across virtually every domain — a different concept from the AI systems currently in use.

Adopting the term as a general substitute for "artificial intelligence" could therefore create ambiguity, particularly in technical and policy discussions where the distinction between existing AI and hypothetical future "superintelligence" matters.

Attempts to steer public terminology around new technologies have occurred before, with mixed success. Whether Trump's preferred phrase becomes mainstream will likely hinge on adoption across media, industry and government more broadly — a process that typically unfolds gradually and unpredictably, rather than by directive from any single figure.