US President Donald Trump Tuesday proposed replacing the term “artificial intelligence” with “superintelligence”, or SI, in American government documents, while making clear that his administration would not slow the technology’s development despite growing warnings over the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
Addressing world leaders at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump framed AI development as a strategic race that could determine global technological leadership. He claimed the United States was significantly ahead of China and pledged to maintain that advantage, arguing that excessive restrictions could undermine American competitiveness.
‘Welcome to superintelligence’
Trump said the word “artificial” made the technology sound fake and proposed “superintelligence” as a more accurate description. “From this point forward, all of United States documents, and hopefully the world’s, will be changed to use the much more accurate term ‘super’ as opposed to ‘artificial’,” he said.
“In other words, welcome to the new world of superintelligence — SI. Let’s see if that goes. It sounds much better,” Trump added.
The President also offered a simple formulation of the geopolitical stakes surrounding the technology: “Whoever wins AI... wins.” He then substituted his preferred terminology, saying whoever wins the race for superintelligence would hold a major advantage.
Trump claimed the US was currently “leading now over China by a lot” and said his administration intended to preserve that lead.
His comments came ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington state this week, with AI, advanced technology and trade among the major areas of competition between the world’s two largest economies.
Rejects calls to slow AI
Trump also reiterated his opposition to regulations that could significantly slow the development of advanced AI. “I’m not going to stifle the growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution,” he said, adding that some believed its eventual impact could exceed both the Industrial Revolution and the internet.
His remarks followed a series of statements over the past week in which he dismissed warnings that advanced AI could escape human control or pose an existential threat as a “hoax”. He has argued that slowing American development in response to such concerns would give China an opportunity to take the lead.
The debate over AI safety has intensified after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned and warned about the risks associated with the race towards increasingly capable and potentially self-improving systems. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has also pushed for greater caution in the development of frontier models.
Trump, however, has rejected calls for a broad slowdown, arguing that existing American institutions can address harmful conduct without imposing sweeping restrictions on the industry.
Justice Department to ‘watch closely’
Despite opposing new restrictions that could curb AI growth, Trump acknowledged that the technology would require oversight. He said the US Department of Justice and other law-enforcement institutions could intervene if companies crossed legal boundaries.
“We’re going to watch it closely through the Department of Justice,” Trump said.
The position reflects the administration’s broader approach of encouraging rapid AI development while relying largely on existing legal and enforcement mechanisms rather than a new regulatory structure aimed specifically at frontier AI risks.
Trump had announced days earlier that he planned to establish an “AI Force” and appoint a new AI czar, though details about the proposed body’s structure, powers and timeline have not yet been outlined.
The President’s remarks at the UN also placed AI squarely within the wider US-China strategic competition. Washington and Beijing have imposed competing technology restrictions in recent years, with access to advanced semiconductors, computing infrastructure and frontier AI models increasingly treated as national security issues.
Trump’s intervention sets up a sharp contrast with those in the technology industry and policy community seeking stronger safeguards around increasingly capable AI systems. While acknowledging that risks need monitoring, he has argued that maintaining the US lead should take precedence over efforts that could substantially restrict development.