Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” directs federal agencies to use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “artificial intelligence” and “AI.” The President signed it on September 29, 2026, and it was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2026. The change is mostly one of vocabulary: the order defines Super Intelligence as exactly the technologies the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence already covers. But the new term is already appearing in regulatory documents, and organizations that work with federal agencies need to read it correctly.
This article explains what the order does, what it does not change, and how compliance teams should handle the new terminology.
What Executive Order 14434 Does
The order has three operative parts.
A New Term in Federal Communications
Section 1 states that current systems increasingly represent not merely artificial intelligence but a new era of Super Intelligence, and sets the policy that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the executive branch will use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “artificial intelligence” and “AI.” Section 2 applies that to agencies’ official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory documents.
The Same Legal Meaning
Section 3(a) defines Super Intelligence, for the purposes of the order and except where the law provides otherwise, as the technologies and systems covered by the definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3), the definition from the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020. The order does not create a capability threshold or a new category of system. A chatbot, a credit model, or an autonomous agent that was “AI” under federal law before September 29 is “SI” in agency documents after it, and nothing more.
A Definition Still to Come
Section 3(b) directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to propose legislative language for a federal definition of Super Intelligence within 60 days, which falls in late November 2026. Commentators reading the order note that the proposal is to consider whether the new term should expand or supersede the statutory definition of artificial intelligence. Any such change would require an Act of Congress; until then, the existing definition governs.
What Changed and What Did Not
Because the order changes words rather than definitions, its effect depends on the kind of document.
| Document or obligation | Effect of Executive Order 14434 |
|---|---|
| Federal statutes | Unchanged. Laws that say “artificial intelligence” keep that term and its definition until Congress acts |
| Existing regulations, contracts, and grants | Not rewritten by the order, according to published analyses of its text |
| New agency guidance, reports, and communications | Use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” to the extent permitted by law |
| NIST frameworks such as the AI RMF | The published frameworks are unchanged; new NIST communications, as agency documents, may use the new term |
| International standards such as ISO/IEC 42001 | Unaffected; they are not U.S. government documents |
| State laws and the EU AI Act | Unaffected; the order binds the federal executive branch only |
The table shows why the order matters more for reading than for compliance. No new obligation arises from it. What changes is the language in which federal guidance now arrives, and an organization that searches agency documents only for “AI” may miss new guidance entirely.
The First Regulatory Example
The OCC’s supervisory framework for banks, issued on November 4, 2026 as Bulletin 2026-54, is an early example. It adopts “super intelligence” throughout, explains in a footnote that the term follows Executive Order 14434, and applies to the generative and agentic systems that banks have been calling AI. A compliance team that reads it as guidance about a new technology category, rather than about its existing AI use cases, would misread its scope. Elevate’s analysis of the OCC super intelligence framework covers that guidance in detail.
What Is Still Open
The legislative proposal due in late November 2026 could suggest a broader or different statutory definition. If Congress later adopted one, the scope of federal AI rules could change. Until then, the order is a naming policy, and organizations should treat SI and AI as equivalent in federal documents.
What Compliance Teams Should Do
The order creates no new obligations, so the response is small and mostly about vocabulary. Five steps prevent the new term from causing confusion.
Step 1: Add an Equivalence Clause to AI Policies
Add one sentence to the definitions section of the AI governance policy stating that references to Super Intelligence or SI in federal laws, guidance, or contracts are treated as references to AI under the policy. This keeps the policy’s scope intact when regulators and customers change terms. Elevate’s AI policy template guide covers where definitions sit in a policy.
Step 2: Update Regulatory Monitoring
Add “Super Intelligence” and “SI” to the keywords used to track federal guidance, rulemakings, and agency announcements. New federal documents will increasingly use only the new term.
Step 3: Keep Inventories and Intake Forms as They Are
The AI inventory, risk tiering, and intake process do not need new categories, because the order does not change which systems are covered. If federal customers or examiners ask for a list of SI use cases, the existing AI inventory is that list.
Step 4: Read Federal Contracts Carefully
New solicitations and contract clauses from agencies may use SI. Where a contract defines the term, that definition controls. Where it does not, the order’s definition points back to the statutory definition of artificial intelligence; contract and legal teams should confirm that reading with counsel for significant agreements.
Step 5: Watch the Legislative Proposal
The proposed statutory definition due in late November 2026 is the one development that could change scope. Track whether it is released and whether Congress acts on it.
Elevate helps organizations build AI governance programs that hold up to changes in regulation and terminology, including ISO/IEC 42001 programs and, for financial institutions, CRI FS AI RMF readiness. To review your AI policy definitions, talk to an Elevate advisor.
Conclusion
Executive Order 14434 renames artificial intelligence in federal communications without changing what the term covers. Super Intelligence, in the order’s own definition, means the systems already covered by the statutory definition of artificial intelligence. Statutes, existing contracts, international standards, and state laws are unaffected, and a proposal for a new statutory definition is due in late November 2026.
The practical work is small but worth doing now, because agencies such as the OCC are already issuing guidance in the new vocabulary: add an equivalence clause to AI policies, update regulatory monitoring, keep the AI inventory as the source for SI questions, and read new federal contracts carefully. To review your AI policy and governance program, book a call with an Elevate advisor.
Key Takeaways
Executive Order 14434 changes the federal word for AI, not its legal meaning.
- Signed September 29, 2026. It was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2026 at 91 FR 63129.
- Agencies now say Super Intelligence. Official communications, reports, and policy documents use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” to the extent permitted by law.
- The definition is the old one. Super Intelligence means the systems covered by the statutory definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3).
- No new obligations. Statutes, existing contracts, ISO/IEC 42001, state laws, and the EU AI Act are unaffected.
- Guidance is already arriving in the new term. The OCC’s November 2026 bank framework uses “super intelligence” throughout.
- One open item. A proposed statutory definition is due in late November 2026, and only Congress can change the law.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Executive Order 14434?
Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” is a presidential order signed on September 29, 2026 and published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2026. It directs federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “artificial intelligence” and “AI” in official communications and non-statutory documents, to the maximum extent permitted by law.
What does super intelligence mean in federal usage?
Under Section 3(a) of the order, Super Intelligence means the technologies and systems covered by the definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3). It is not a new technology category or capability threshold. Systems that were AI under federal law remain covered, now described as SI in agency documents.
Does Executive Order 14434 create new compliance requirements?
No. The order changes terminology in federal communications and keeps the existing statutory definition. It does not rewrite statutes, and published analyses indicate it does not alter previously issued regulations, contracts, or grants. Organizations should still update policy definitions and monitoring so that guidance using the new term is recognized.
Will the definition of super intelligence change?
Possibly. The order directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to propose legislative language for a federal definition within 60 days, which falls in late November 2026. Changing the statutory definition would require an Act of Congress. Until then, the existing definition of artificial intelligence governs.
Does the order affect ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF, or the EU AI Act?
It does not change any of them. ISO/IEC 42001 is an international standard and the EU AI Act is European law, so neither is governed by a U.S. executive order. The NIST AI Risk Management Framework remains as published, although new communications from NIST, as a federal agency, may use the new term.