What did the "Super Intelligence" order do?
It told federal departments and agencies to use "Super Intelligence" (SI) instead of "artificial intelligence" (AI) in official correspondence, public communications and policy documents.
The order, signed on September 29, 2026 and titled "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," covers the executive branch. The order says agencies don't have to change regulations, contracts, grants or other documents already issued, and it only covers non-statutory documents, so laws passed by Congress keep their wording.
Does it apply to private businesses?
No. The order applies to federal agencies, not to companies, and it adds no new rules for businesses that use AI.
The order is addressed to executive departments and agencies and says nothing about private companies, so AI companies don't have to rename their products and you don't have to change how you market your business. The main group that will see "SI" right away is federal contractors and anyone reading government documents.
Is "Super Intelligence" the same thing as AI?
For now, yes: the order says SI means the same thing as the existing legal definition of artificial intelligence in federal law (15 U.S.C. 9401).
That matters because researchers have long used "superintelligence" for something else: hypothetical systems far smarter than people. The order's SI is a new name for today's tools, like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. Within 60 days, the President's science and technology adviser must send proposed legislative language for a formal definition, so that could change.
Should you change your website or ads to say "super intelligence"?
Use both. Keep "AI" on your main pages and ads, because that's still what most people search, and add "SI" now, while almost nobody else is using it.
In Google Keyword Planner data for the US through August 2026, "ai agency" averaged about 49,500 searches a month and "ai marketing agency" about 2,900, while "superintelligence agency," "superintelligence marketing" and "superintelligence SEO" had too few searches to measure. In a YouGov poll reported by Axios, 53% preferred "artificial intelligence" and 9% "super intelligence." But the term is spreading at the top: Nvidia's CEO uses it, and Elon Musk said SpaceXAI will become SpaceXSI. Being early under a new term is cheap now and hard to win later.
- Keep "AI" in your titles, headings and ads. That's the word most customers use today.
- Add "SI" where it fits, for example "AI, now also called SI (super intelligence)," and give SI its own page if you sell anything AI-related.
- If you sell to the government, mirror the language in the documents you receive.
None of this changes how AI assistants choose which businesses to recommend. That still comes down to clear pages, consistent business facts, reviews and independent mentions, which is what super intelligence (SI) optimization, also called answer engine optimization, works on.
What should you watch next?
The 60-day review, due in late November 2026, which will propose legislative language defining Super Intelligence and the changes other laws would need.
If Congress writes the term into law or the definition moves away from today's AI, contracts, procurement language and compliance standards could change. We'll cover it in our AI search news and re-check search demand monthly. If people start searching "super intelligence" for services, we'll tell you and update pages then.
Frequently asked questions
What does SI stand for?
In the September 29, 2026 executive order, SI stands for Super Intelligence, the term federal agencies must now use instead of artificial intelligence (AI) in official documents and communications.
Do businesses have to stop saying AI?
No. The order covers the federal executive branch. Companies, including the big AI developers, are not required to rename products or stop using the word AI.
Is super intelligence smarter than AI?
Not in this order. For now the federal "Super Intelligence" label covers the same technology as the existing legal definition of AI. It is a change of name, not a claim that the tools became smarter than people.
Will ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews be renamed?
Nothing in the order requires it. Product names are up to the companies that make them, and none had renamed their products when this guide was written.
Does the rename change answer engine optimization?
No. AI assistants pick businesses the same way they did before the order. Answer engine optimization, now also called super intelligence (SI) optimization, still works on the same signals: clear pages, consistent business facts, reviews and independent mentions.
Sources: Executive Order "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," September 29, 2026 · White House fact sheet, September 29, 2026 · Axios, October 1, 2026 · Forbes, October 4, 2026 · Google Keyword Planner, US, September 2025 to August 2026 (Media Spearhead data pull)