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Trump orders diplomats worldwide to start referring to AI as ‘super intelligence’

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Cite

Lee, M. (2026, September 24). Trump orders diplomats worldwide to start referring to AI as ‘super intelligence’. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-state-department-super-intelligence-b3055544.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-09-24 · by Matthew Lee

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump has directed diplomats worldwide to start referring to artificial intelligence as “super intelligence” in all official communications. This directive came after his speech at the U.N. General Assembly where he argued that the term "artificial intelligence" makes advanced computing seem fake and inaccurate. Michael Drager, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, sent an internal email on Tuesday instructing staff to replace “AI” with “SI” in documents and positions moving forward. It is unclear if this guidance has been extended to other government agencies beyond the State Department’s international organizations bureau.
Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of September 2026, President Donald Trump told reporters that the U.S. is "hopefully toward the end" of its ongoing war with Iran, which began on February 28 and has lasted for seven months. Despite this hopeful statement, there are no clear timelines or significant de-escalation efforts in sight. The conflict continues to disrupt global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up oil prices to over $108 per barrel. Additionally, Iran's foreign minister is under pressure from China and international concerns to reopen the strait and return to a previous interim peace deal with the U.S.

Meanwhile, tensions have escalated beyond Iran into Yemen, where Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, pose significant threats near the Red Sea, complicating efforts at regional stability. The conflict has also drawn in other nations such as Saudi Arabia, which is offering extra crude oil through Oman to ease supply disruptions and stabilize oil prices.

At the United Nations General Assembly, Trump further alarmed global leaders by threatening to "annihilate" Iran if necessary, raising concerns about the potential for catastrophic outcomes involving nuclear weapons. This rhetoric contrasts sharply with past U.S. presidents who emphasized caution regarding such extreme measures. Despite these challenges, there is an urgent need for multilateral solutions and effective engagement through international bodies like the UN to address ongoing conflicts and crises around the world.

Written for “Trump's UN Speech Controversies” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 206 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump's UN Speech Controversies
Politics · 207 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 17% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Will Trump's AI rebrand as 'super intelligence' catch on? Same event
BBC News
Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 68/100
Trump renames AI ‘super intelligence’ as leaders jostle over dangers Same event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 1 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
Trump says U.S. will henceforth call AI ‘super intelligence’ Same event
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
Amid many thorny issues with China, Trump pushes to rename AI as superintelligence Same event
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100
Trump claims China’s Xi agrees that AI should now be called ‘Super Intelligence’ Different event
The Independent
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A describes Trump's instruction to diplomats about rebranding AI as 'super intelligence,' while Article B reports on a claim by Trump that Xi Jinping agrees with him about the term. These describe different specific incidents.”
Trump announces formation of new 'AI Force' and reveals new names to replace 'artificial' in his latest rebrand push to combat 'Democrat hoax' Different event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe related actions by President Trump regarding AI terminology but refer to different events and times.”
Trump says he will create ‘AI Force,’ name AI czar Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different actions by Trump related to AI at different times and contexts.”
Trump invites public to vote on names to replace ‘artificial intelligence’ Different event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 3 of 14 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The first article describes Trump inviting public votes for new names for artificial intelligence, while the second reports that he has ordered diplomats to use 'super intelligence' in official communications following a U.N. address, indicating different specific actions at distinct times.”
Trump calls to rename artificial intelligence after whistleblower says new tech could destroy humanity Different event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 38 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different aspects of a broader campaign by Trump to rebrand AI: Article A mentions a call for public input on renaming AI, while Article B reports an official directive given to diplomats.”
Is it 'killer robots' or 'super intelligence'? At the UN, leaders see both Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 4 of 39 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss Trump's use of the term 'super intelligence' at the UN, Article A describes the broader context and debate about AI threats, while Article B specifically reports on an order from Trump to diplomats to use the new term in official communications.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
3 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
207
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-24 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Matthew Lee
16 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies will wrap up two days of talks in Atlanta on Saturday without reaching consensus on several critical global security issues after divisions, notably over Russia’s war with Ukraine, overshadowed the start of the meeting.
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · G20 foreign ministers to end Atlanta meeting without consensus on key issues
🔮 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will chair the gathering Friday and Saturday that will set the stage for a G20 leaders summit hosted by President Donald Trump at his Miami golf club in December.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · G20 diplomats, including from China and Russia, face deep rifts as they prepare to meet in Atlanta
🔮 The embassies will remain open.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · US is reducing staffing at 4 Middle East embassies over increased threats from Iran
🔮 “He can wake up tomorrow morning, decide he’s done enough on this, and he might start to lean back in the other direction.”
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · US ties with Ukraine hit new low as Trump slights Zelenskyy and eases up on Russia
🔮 Rubio has been unapologetic about his role as both President Donald Trump’s chief diplomat and national security adviser and has brushed aside suggestions that he is eschewing the most difficult issues in favor of taking on lower-hanging diplomatic fruit with less risk of failure and political damage. “It’s an important relationship,” Rubio told reporters Saturday before departing Washington, noting that he selected a time when the Central Asian leaders would be able to meet.
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Rubio heads to Central Asia as some wonder if he's keeping the most pressing matters at a distance
🔮 Rubio told reporters that he would not discuss the allegations contained in a Wall Street Journal story that said Guilfoyle had asked a donor and supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.
2026-10-08 · mixed framing · Rubio refuses to comment on Guilfoyle allegations
🔮 The Council of Europe said Tuesday that the U.S. formally notified it that it would leave the Group of States against Corruption, or GRECO.
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · US withdraws from European anti-corruption panel in latest shift away from global groups
🔮 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is set to issue a last-minute reprieve Tuesday over the planned closure of a camp in Qatar that houses more than 1,000 Afghans who assisted America’s war effort or are the relatives of U.S. service members.
2026-09-29 · mixed framing · Trump is set to extend the Qatar camp housing more than 1,000 Afghans who helped the US war effort
🔮 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — who stayed in New York after last week’s gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly — will meet with Qatari mediators Monday about the latest discussions, Iranian state media reported Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying.
2026-09-28 · assertive framing · Mediators are working to broker a US-Iran deal, but major hurdles remain
🔮 The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a decision on the details of what the restrictions will entail has not yet been finalized.
2026-09-25 · assertive framing · US weighs new limits on Cuban travel at the UN as Havana decries Trump's economic squeeze
Also by Matthew Lee
G20 foreign ministers to end Atlanta meeting without consensus on key issues
2026-10-31 · Toronto Star
G20 diplomats, including from China and Russia, face deep rifts as they prepare to meet in Atlanta
2026-10-30 · Toronto Star
US is reducing staffing at 4 Middle East embassies over increased threats from Iran
2026-10-24 · Toronto Star
US ties with Ukraine hit new low as Trump slights Zelenskyy and eases up on Russia
2026-10-19 · Toronto Star
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 16 articles by Matthew Lee →

Topics

Independent U.N. U.S. the State Department's the U.N. General Assembly

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 6× U.S. GPE · 3× U.N. ORG · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Independent NORP · 1× Michael Drager PERSON · 1× the Bureau of International Organization Affairs ORG · 1× the State Department ORG · 1× the State Department's ORG · 1× the U.N. General Assembly ORG · 1×

Narrative

Diplomats within the State Department's international organizations bureau have been instructed to replace the term "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence" across all official communications, following a rebranding push introduced by President Donald Trump during his address to the U.N. General Assembly this week.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-24
🔮 We will be using ‘SI’ in all remarks, positions and press elements moving forward."
2026-09-24 · The Independent
Trump orders diplomats worldwide to start referring to AI as ‘super intelligence’ · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 3 hedged)

Diplomats within the State Department's international organizations bureau have been instructed to replace the term "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence" across all official communications, following a rebranding push introduced by President Donald Trump during his address to the U.N. General Assembly this week. asserted
Diplomats → instruct → Assembly
In an internal email sent to staff on Tuesday, Michael Drager, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, outlined the new mandate: asserted
Drager → send → mandate
We will be using ‘SI’ in all remarks, positions and press elements moving forward." asserted
We → use → remarks
The bureau manages U.S. diplomatic missions across global U.N. and multilateral agencies. asserted
bureau → manage → U.N.
The memo, titled "Change in Nomenclature AI to SI," was obtained on Wednesday. asserted
memo → title → Wednesday
It remains unclear whether the State Department has issued identical instructions to other divisions. uncertain
Department → remain → divisions
Addressing world leaders on Tuesday, Trump stated that he would "officially" rename the technology, arguing that the existing label makes advanced computing sound inauthentic. asserted
computing → address → technology
"The use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake, it makes it sound fake and it is not fake. asserted
it → make → word
It’s actually amazing," Trump said. asserted
Trump → ’ → ?
He added at the U.N. that "from the point forward" official records "will be changed to use the much more accurate term super as opposed to artificial. asserted
records → add → term
So it’s super intelligence." asserted
it → ’ → ?
While Drager’s directive was issued shortly after the speech, it was not immediately clear on Wednesday if similar guidance was distributed across other government agencies. asserted
guidance → issue → agencies
Such a policy shift could also require renaming the "AI Force" initiative Trump announced over the weekend as the "SI Force." uncertain
Trump → require → Force
By Wednesday, U.S. officials were observed using the "SI" terminology during a U.N. Security Council meeting concerning the sector, where technology executives urged international leaders to establish boundaries for the rapidly advancing systems. asserted
executives → observe → systems
The swift evolution of the technology has prompted warnings from lawmakers, corporate leaders, and experts regarding potential risks if human control is lost, leading to calls for unified global regulations. asserted
control → prompt → regulations
However, Trump has consistently rejected proposals to curb development through federal regulation, arguing that oversight could hamper industry progress and weaken the nation's advantage over China. uncertain
oversight → reject → China
Posting on social media on Monday, Trump asserted U.S. dominance in the sector and insisted he was "not going to stifle Growth, of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution, or the Internet, itself." asserted
that → post → Revolution
Technology policy is expected to feature heavily when Trump hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington for talks beginning Wednesday. asserted
Trump → expect → talks
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