US President Donald Trump wants the federal government to stop saying “artificial intelligence” and say “super intelligence” instead. Here is what is happening.

Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use the term “super intelligence”, or SI, for advanced AI systems. He first pushed the name at the UN General Assembly in September.

He also announced a 10-person committee to watch over the sector and said he would name an AI czar within days. The move followed a White House lunch with AI chiefs, who signed a voluntary safety accord.

California went the other way. Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring state agencies to keep saying “artificial intelligence” instead of “super intelligence”.

The naming fight reflects a policy split. Washington is betting on speed and self-policing by the labs. California is passing the country’s first laws limiting how AI can be used at work.

Words matter here because they shape how voters and lawmakers think about regulating the technology.