Federal brief · AI engineering
From AI to SI: what the Super Intelligence order changes
Executive Order 14434 tells federal agencies to say “Super Intelligence” (SI) where they used to say “artificial intelligence” (AI). The technology is the same. Here is what changed, what did not, and what program teams will see.
4 min read · October 2026
What the order says
On September 29, 2026, the President signed Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence.” It makes “Super Intelligence” and “SI” the federal government’s preferred terms for artificial intelligence.
Executive departments and agencies are to use the new terms in place of “artificial intelligence” and “AI” in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents and other non-statutory documents, to the maximum extent permitted by law.
What it does not change
The technology
For now, SI means exactly what the statutory definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3) covers. A model, an agent or an automated workflow that counted as AI before still counts as SI.
Documents already issued
Agencies are not required to revise previously issued regulations, presidential actions, contracts, grants or other historical documents.
The law, for now
Statutes that say “artificial intelligence” still say it. The order gives the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology 60 days to propose legislative language for a federal definition.
Who it addresses
The order is addressed to executive departments and agencies. It does not itself set requirements for contractors, and it creates no enforceable rights.
What program teams will see
Both names, side by side
New agency documents and announcements will say SI, while existing contracts, regulations and statutes keep saying AI. Expect solicitations, data calls and reporting templates to use either term for a while.
“SI” already means something in contracting
In acquisition documents, SI often means systems integrator. Read it in context, and spell out “Super Intelligence” wherever a reader could take it either way.
The definition may move
Once a federal definition is proposed and acted on, the scope of the term could change. Policies that define AI by pointing to 15 U.S.C. 9401(3) are worth rechecking then.
How 2Prod handles it
We follow your program’s language. Deliverables, documentation and reporting use the term your agency uses, with the other term given once where a reader may need it.
The work does not change with the name. Whether a requirement says AI or SI, we start with the task and the information it requires, define what the tool may read and do, and keep review and approval with the people responsible for the work.
Have an SI requirement on your program?
Tell us about the task and the systems involved. We will say plainly whether AI fits it, or whether conventional automation is the better call.
Source: Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” September 29, 2026, published on whitehouse.gov. This brief summarizes the order’s public text and is not legal advice.