AI vs SI Compared Under Executive Order 14434

In federal government policy, Super Intelligence (SI) is a new name for Artificial Intelligence (AI). At Layer3Labs, we build AI agents for small and mid-sized businesses, so we sort terms like these by what they change in a contract or a deployment. On September 29, 2026, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14434, which instructs federal agencies to replace the term artificial intelligence with Super Intelligence across official communications and non-statutory documents.

Section 3(a) of Executive Order 14434 defines SI using the exact definition of artificial intelligence established under Title 15 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 9401(3). Because the legal standard is unchanged, federal SI covers the same systems the statute already calls AI.

Confusion arises because superintelligence is also a research term, usually shortened to ASI. In research, superintelligence describes a hypothetical system that greatly exceeds human performance in virtually all domains. Federal SI is a branding policy for current software, while research superintelligence represents a theoretical milestone that does not exist today.

AI (artificial intelligence) vs. SI (Super Intelligence, the federal label): Side-by-Side

Are you one of these vendors? Update your listing

Is SI Different from AI? The Short Answer

No. In federal usage, SI is a new name for AI: Executive Order 14434 defines SI with the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence. It is also not superintelligence (ASI), the research term for systems that exceed human ability in virtually all domains. A machine learning model deployed before the executive order operates under the exact same technical parameters when an agency labels it Super Intelligence.

Section 1 of the order states that the capabilities of today's frontier systems do much more than imitate or automate discrete aspects of human intelligence. The administration concluded that the term Super Intelligence more appropriately captures the promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities of these technologies.

Section 3(a) of the order specifies that Super Intelligence and SI refer to the technologies encompassed by the term artificial intelligence as defined in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3). Unless Congress amends that statute or the President issues a subsequent directive, the two labels point to the identical statutory category.

How Statutory AI, Federal SI, and Research ASI Differ

Three terms get mixed up here: AI, SI, and ASI. Each one has a different source.

Statutory artificial intelligence (AI) comes from Congress, in the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020. Its definition covers machine-based systems that use inputs to perceive environments, abstract perceptions into models, and use model inference to formulate options.

Federal Super Intelligence (SI) comes from the President. Executive Order 14434 created this label and directs executive branch agencies to use it in place of artificial intelligence in correspondence, websites, and other non-statutory documents. It adopts the 2020 statutory definition without modifying technical criteria. Our guide to the Super Intelligence executive order covers what the order changes for agencies.

Artificial superintelligence (ASI) comes from academic research, where it is often called simply superintelligence. In his 2014 book *Superintelligence*, philosopher Nick Bostrom defined superintelligence as any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest. Our guides on what superintelligence means and AGI vs ASI cover that research term. Executive Order 14434 does not use the acronym ASI and does not mention Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which is explained in what AGI means. Federal SI is an administrative policy, whereas research ASI remains a theoretical concept that has not been built.

• Statutory AI (15 U.S.C. 9401(3)): The binding legal definition passed by Congress in 2020 covering current machine learning systems.
• Federal SI (Executive Order 14434): The executive branch label adopted in September 2026 that points directly back to the 2020 statutory definition.
• Research ASI (Academic Literature): A hypothetical intellect that greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all domains (Nick Bostrom's definition).

Executive Order 14434 Mandates and Agency Scope

President Trump signed Executive Order 14434 on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, under the title Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence. Section 1 of the order mandates that executive departments and agencies shall use the terms Super Intelligence and SI in place of Artificial Intelligence and AI to the maximum extent permitted by law. The policy further instructs agencies that they will not acknowledge the usage of Artificial Intelligence and AI in applicable settings.

Section 2(a) outlines where this policy applies. Federal personnel must use the SI nomenclature in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory documents within the executive branch.

Section 2(b) leaves earlier documents alone. It states that nothing in the section requires the alteration of previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents. The order does not alter or repeal earlier directives such as the June 2, 2026 AI executive order. Section 4 clarifies that the directive does not impair agency authorities or the functions of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The Legal Definition Under Section 9401 of Title 15

The substantive foundation of federal SI is identical to the legal definition of AI codified by Congress. Section 3(a) of Executive Order 14434 defines Super Intelligence as the technologies encompassed by the term artificial intelligence under Section 9401(3) of Title 15 of the United States Code.

Under 15 U.S.C. 9401(3), the term artificial intelligence means a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments. The statute elaborates that such systems use machine and human-based inputs to perceive environments, abstract perceptions into models, and use model inference to formulate options.

Executive Order 14434 ties SI to this statute. Until a later presidential action or an Act of Congress supersedes the definition, federal SI covers whatever 15 U.S.C. 9401(3) covers.

The White House Accord on Super Intelligence

On the same day President Trump signed Executive Order 14434, the administration hosted a roundtable with technology executives that produced a companion initiative. According to reporting from Fox Business, participants entered into the White House Accord on Super Intelligence.

The accord is a separate document from the executive order. President Trump described the accord as morally binding, noting that participants viewed it almost as a separate constitution. House Speaker Mike Johnson described "commitments that are voluntary on behalf of the industry." He called the accord "a statement of principles" with "robust internal controls and layers of internal and external review." Fox Business reported that President Trump has opposed imposing formal guardrails on SI.

Mark Zuckerberg posted that "the leaders of every major American lab" committed to "implementing robust internal controls and multiple layers of audits and reviews," calling it a "positive step." As of October 2026, the White House has not published the full signatory list or the complete text of the accord.

How Researchers Define Superintelligence (ASI)

While federal policy uses the phrase Super Intelligence for current models, computer science research maintains a different definition for artificial superintelligence. Every research source cited below describes ASI as hypothetical and not yet achieved.

In educational materials, IBM characterizes ASI as a hypothetical software-based artificial intelligence system possessing an intellectual scope that extends beyond human intelligence. IBM describes Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) as a stage where systems match or exceed human cognitive abilities across any task, and says current large language models are not considered AGI. Wikipedia similarly records that whether AGI exists remains an unresolved debate without scientific consensus.

The benchmark framework published by Google DeepMind researchers in the paper Levels of AGI establishes a six-tier performance scale (Levels 0 to 5) crossed with narrow and general domains. The paper, first posted in November 2023, classified ChatGPT, Bard, Llama 2, and Gemini as Level 1 "Emerging AGI." The paper rated Level 2 Competent AGI, Level 3 Expert AGI, and Level 4 Exceptional AGI as not achieved by any public system at the time of writing. Level 5 Superhuman General AI, defined as outperforming 100 percent of humans across all domains, represents Artificial Superintelligence (ASI). DeepMind classifies Level 5 ASI as unachieved.

Evaluation initiatives like the ARC Prize (ARC-AGI) focus on measuring skill-acquisition efficiency on novel tasks to test for fluid intelligence rather than stored training data. In the Microsoft and OpenAI partnership announcement from October 2025, the companies agreed that once OpenAI declares AGI, an independent expert panel must verify the claim. The OpenAI Charter defines AGI as highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work. In the May 2023 post Governance of Superintelligence, OpenAI leadership described superintelligence as "future AI systems dramatically more capable than even AGI." The same post said "it's conceivable that within the next ten years, AI systems will exceed expert skill level in most domains." The Statement on Superintelligence, organized by the Future of Life Institute, calls for a prohibition on developing superintelligence. The prohibition would stay until there is broad scientific consensus that it can be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in. The statement had more than 77,000 signatures as of October 2026. Mathematician I.J. Good described the concept in 1965 as an intelligence explosion, where an ultraintelligent machine designs better machines recursively.

• Level 1 Emerging AGI: Equal to or somewhat better than an unskilled human; the paper placed ChatGPT, Bard, Llama 2, and Gemini here.
• Levels 2 to 4 AGI: Competent, expert, or exceptional general systems that reach the 50th, 90th, or 99th percentile of skilled adults; not achieved by any public system when the paper was written.
• Level 5 ASI: General AI that outperforms 100 percent of humans; not yet achieved, according to the paper.

Contractual and Operational Effects on Private Industry

For private enterprises, commercial software developers, and state agencies, Executive Order 14434 creates no direct legal compliance obligation. The directive explicitly governs executive departments and agencies of the federal government. It does not instruct private companies to change their marketing, product documentation, software naming conventions, or corporate disclosures.

Commercial contracts such as master services agreements, software licenses, and cloud terms can keep using the term AI. Under Section 2(b), nothing in that section requires altering previously issued federal contracts or grants, so vendors do not need to rewrite signed agreements.

If you sell to federal agencies, expect new agency correspondence, websites, and reports to say SI. The order does not tell vendors which term to use in their own proposals or contracts.

Statutory Revisions and Conditions for Definition Changes

AI and SI stay identical unless a later presidential action or an Act of Congress changes the SI definition. Section 3(b) of Executive Order 14434 starts that process by asking for proposed legislative language.

Within 60 days of September 29, 2026, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST) must submit proposed legislative language for a federal statutory definition of Super Intelligence. That deadline falls in late November 2026. The APST may consult agency heads as the APST sees fit. The proposal must address whether the federal definition of SI should modify, expand upon, or supersede the existing statutory definition under 15 U.S.C. 9401(3).

The submission must also deliver proposed conforming amendments to statutory references to artificial intelligence across the United States Code, along with recommendations for further executive action. What the APST will propose has not been published as of October 2026. Our answer would change if Congress enacts an amended statutory standard that formally separates SI into a unique technical class with distinct thresholds or regulatory burdens.

The Verdict

AI and SI name the same technology in federal law. Outside the federal executive branch, AI remains the term in contracts, products, and research, and the order does not change that.

For executive branch agencies, Executive Order 14434 makes SI the required term in non-statutory documents. Contractors, private companies, and states are not bound by it.

Federal SI must not be mistaken for academic artificial superintelligence (ASI). Every research source cited here describes superintelligence as hypothetical and not yet achieved. If you sell to federal agencies, watch for the proposed legal definition of SI, which the order requests within 60 days of September 29, 2026 (late November 2026).