Trump Says He Will Ban the Term 'Artificial Intelligence'

President Donald Trump announced that he intends to ban the use of the term "artificial intelligence" in official documents and other contexts, arguing the phrase is imprecise and should be replaced by "super intelligence."

Announcement on Truth Social and enforcement limits

On Truth Social, Trump criticized the Wall Street Journal for continuing to use "artificial intelligence (AI)" instead of "SI, meaning super intelligence," writing that "artificial intelligence is a very bad and imprecise name and almost everyone uses the term super intelligence or will soon use it." He followed that post with a direct statement: "Soon we will officially ban the use of the term AI or artificial intelligence in all related documents and other matters because it is imprecise."

His posts did not explain how such a ban would be implemented. The president cannot unilaterally prohibit the use of a common term by private citizens, companies, or media outlets.

Executive order, federal policy and where AI remains in use

Trump signed an executive order in September directing US federal departments and agencies to use the term "SI" instead of "AI." The order did not require agencies to retroactively edit existing regulations, contracts, or published documents to substitute "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence." Instead, the order states that, going forward, the executive branch will not recognize the terms "AI" and "Artificial Intelligence" in matters covered by the directive.

Despite the executive action and earlier rhetoric, the phrase "artificial intelligence" continues to appear across major platforms and reference sources. Examples include:

• Major US news organizations
• Government databases and official repositories
• The Associated Press stylebook, which lists "artificial intelligence" as the correct term

In an early October message, Trump also called people who continue to use the term "AI" "enemy."

Origins and prior statements opposing the term

Trump’s opposition to the phrase dates back at least to July 2025, when he said he disliked the name because the word "artificial" was inappropriate and that the technology is the result of human genius. At the United Nations General Assembly, he warned that the expression "artificial intelligence" could give the impression of "fake intelligence" and expressed hope that US documents and, in time, documents from other countries would adopt the term "super intelligence."