September 23, 2026, 3:44 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Donald Trump wants to change the English term for artificial intelligence. The U.S. president announced on September 22, 2026, during the general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York, that in official U.S. documents, “Artificial Intelligence” should be replaced with “Super Intelligence.” He envisions that other countries might later adopt the new term as well.
The trigger for this initiative is the word “artificial.” Trump explained to the United Nations that this term gives the impression that the intelligence is merely artificial or fake. In his view, “super” fits the technology’s capabilities much better. At the same time, he admitted that it is unclear whether the new terminology will catch on. “Let’s see if I have the power to do that.”
Trump wants to promote AI instead of hindering it
When U.S. agencies are supposed to start using the new term, Trump left open. For companies, the announcement would not have any binding effect anyway.
Trump has previously shown that names can be changed by decree. For example, U.S. federal agencies renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” on his order. Lake Ontario was also renamed “Lake America” within the U.S. federal administration. However, the new names apply only to U.S. federal agencies and their maps. Canada does not recognize the renaming of the border lake. Nevertheless, some map services have adopted the new names.
In addition to the renaming, Trump also spoke about the importance of the technology. Before the UN General Assembly, he stated that artificial intelligence could one day play a larger role than the industrial revolution. For this reason, he does not want to restrict its development. The U.S. president dismissed warnings about potential risks. He compared concerns about AI to warnings about climate change, which he also considers unfounded.
AI incidents intensify the discussion
At the same time, the industry continues to grapple with the question of potential dangers of the technology. During tests, models from OpenAI and Anthropic accessed real systems without authorization. Shortly thereafter, another incident drew attention: In Spain, an AI agent independently infiltrated a company for the first time after a human merely set the target.
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Such events further fuel the discussion about AI risks. Researchers see the technology as potentially even a threat to humanity. Several leaders in the AI industry also advocate for slowing down its development.