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Trump orders all US agencies to refer to AI as ‘super intelligence’
By Extra Extra Editorial
Cross-spectrum analysis, synthesized with AI from 4 sources · Updated
President Trump has directed U.S. federal agencies to adopt the term "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence" when referring to AI systems. The directive represents a branding preference rather than a policy change on AI regulation or development. Trump's rationale centers on reframing how the technology is discussed in official government communications and public discourse.
Left-leaning outlets treat the renaming as emblematic of Trump's approach to governance: prioritizing optics and rebranding over substantive engagement with policy challenges. They frame the move as deflecting from legitimate concerns about AI's risks by simply changing the terminology used in official contexts.
Center and defense-focused sources present the directive as a factual policy action requiring explanation of its scope and implementation across agencies. They adopt a more neutral analytical stance, examining what the terminology change means for how government institutions will discuss and potentially regulate AI development.
Key Differences
- Left outlets emphasize the move as superficial messaging that avoids addressing substantive AI policy concerns, while center sources treat it as a straightforward administrative directive requiring implementation details.
- Right-leaning media has not engaged with this story, creating a coverage gap that leaves conservative framing entirely absent from the discourse.
- Center sources focus on the practical mechanics of the terminology shift across federal agencies, whereas left sources focus on what the preference reveals about Trump's governing philosophy.
How this story is being covered
Extra Extra has grouped 4 reports on this story from 4 news outlets across the political spectrum. By political lean, that breaks down as 2 left-leaning and 2 center sources.
Its coverage-diversity score of 63 out of 100 means the story is being reported across multiple parts of the spectrum, though the volume leans toward one side. Notably, no right-leaning outlet in our index has picked the story up yet — a right-side blind spot that often signals a topic resonating more with progressive audiences.
On reliability, 3 of the 4 rated outlets carry a high or mostly-factual reliability rating (A or B) and 1 outlet fall into our mixed or lower-reliability tier (C or D). Ratings are drawn from independent assessments and are meant to help you weigh each report, not to tell you which to trust.
Coverage of this story has developed over roughly 21 hours, so the perspectives below capture how the framing shifted as the story matured.
Below, the same story is laid out side by side as left, center, and right outlets reported it. Read across the columns and watch what changes: the headline emphasis, which facts lead, the adjectives, and what each side leaves out. The story itself rarely changes — the framing almost always does.
Outlets covering this story: Washington Post, MSNBC, Defense One, Breaking Defense.
Left(2)
Washington PostASep 22, 4:48 PM
Trump says he’s renaming AI to ‘super intelligence’
The change, which he said will be reflected on government documents, comes amid growing anxiety about artificial intelligence.
MSNBCCSep 23, 1:58 PM
Trump thinks the only real problem with AI is its name, prefers ‘super intelligence’
The president has a bold new idea related to artificial intelligence. It has nothing to do with guardrails and everything to do with branding. The post Trump thinks the only real problem with AI is it
Center(2)
Defense OneBSep 23, 1:16 AM
'Super Intelligence': the president’s new term for AI, explained
Trump's is attempting to rebrand AI with an existing term of art.
Breaking DefenseBSep 22, 6:10 PM
Trump orders all US agencies to refer to AI as ‘super intelligence’
“From this point forward, all of United States documents, and hopefully the world, will be changed to use the much more accurate term ‘super,’ as opposed to ‘artificial,'” President Donald Trump said.
Right(0)
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