Policy
AI is now SI in Washington. What changes for your business?
A plain-English read of the September 29, 2026 executive order: what it does, what it does not do, and what to do next.
What did the executive order actually do?
It changed the vocabulary of the federal executive branch. On September 29, 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order titled Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence.
It directs executive-branch departments and agencies, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI." That applies to official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory documents.
The order also directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to propose a federal definition. TechRepublic and Freshfields both report a 60-day window for that proposal. Until then, the terms mean the technologies already covered by the statutory definition of artificial intelligence.
What does the order not do?
It does not touch the private sector directly. The limits matter as much as the headline:
- It is not a certification, license, or grant.
- Private companies are not required to stop saying AI. As TechRepublic put it, ChatGPT remains ChatGPT.
- It does not retroactively rewrite regulations, contracts, grants, or historical documents.
- It does not change how the technology works.
Why rename it at all?
The administration says the old name undersells the technology. According to the White House fact sheet, the name Super Intelligence "conveys the true capabilities of the technologies being developed today." The fact sheet contrasts this with the idea of simply imitating or automating human intelligence.
Where is the money?
In the programs around the name, not the name itself. The fact sheet ties the order to three larger efforts:
- The Genesis Mission: more than $5 billion announced to accelerate breakthroughs in science, medicine, energy, and manufacturing.
- America's AI Action Plan (July 2025): more than 90 federal actions.
- The National Super Intelligence Policy Framework (March 2026): a policy framework with legislative recommendations.
What should a business do now?
Keep your customers' language, learn the government's, and claim nothing you cannot back up.
- Keep "AI" where customers look for it. People still search for AI. Do not drop it from your website or product names.
- Use "SI" with federal buyers. Expect agencies to use the new terms in solicitations and correspondence.
- Never call the order a certification. Nothing about it makes any company compliant, approved, or endorsed.
- Watch the federal definition. Freshfields notes it could shape future incentives, export controls, and compliance obligations.
- Judge tools by outcomes, not labels. A new name does not change what any product actually does for you.
Where does Super Intelligence AI fit?
We use the name because it describes the work: one Super Intelligence that knows you, with expert agents behind it, that owns the outcome. We are a private company. The order does not certify, endorse, or involve us, and we do not claim it does.
Frequently asked questions
Do private companies have to stop saying AI?
No. The order applies to executive-branch departments and agencies. Private companies are not required to rename products or stop using the term AI.
Does the order rewrite existing contracts or regulations?
No. It does not retroactively rewrite regulations, contracts, grants, or historical documents.
When will there be a federal definition of Super Intelligence?
The order directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to propose one. TechRepublic and Freshfields report a 60-day window for that proposal.
Sources
- Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Inaugurates The Era of Super Intelligence The White House, September 29, 2026
- Trump Signs 'Super Intelligence' Order: What Actually Changes for AI TechRepublic, September 30, 2026
- Trump Executive Order Mandates Shift to "Super Intelligence" Freshfields, October 1, 2026
- Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Unveils the Genesis Mission to Accelerate AI for Scientific Discovery The White House, November 24, 2025
Super Intelligence AI is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the White House, the Trump Administration, or any federal agency or program. This article is general information, not legal advice.
