Trump tries to rename AI 'super intelligence' as polls show him sinking on key issue

US President Donald Trump, sitting alongside Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (L) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (R), speaks during a meeting with technology executives about artificial intelligence, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 29, 2026.

Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he signed a document purporting to "officially" change the name of artificial intelligence to "super intelligence," attempting a forced rebrand for an industry he has tightly embraced even as Americans grow increasingly concerned about the rapidly advancing tech.

Trump, speaking to reporters on the White House grounds while flanked by tech executives, suggested that a document asserting the new name was signed by the leaders of a slew of AI and tech giants, who had convened there for a lunch meeting with the president.

"We've changed the name officially today," Trump said. He was not initially expected to appear at the unusual press gathering outside the White House's West Wing. "The name has been officially changed by the biggest, the smartest, the greatest people anywhere in the world."

Asked if the document was binding in any way, Trump said it is "morally binding."

Specifics about the document were unclear. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for additional information.

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Trump had crowdsourced a new name for AI last week, asking his social media followers in a poll if they preferred "SUPER INTELLIGENCE" or "SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE."

It's the latest attempted name-change for Trump, who has focused intently on branding throughout his careers in business and politics. During the latest flare-up in the U.S.'s ailing relations with Canada last month, Trump signed an executive order asserting Lake Ontario would be renamed "Lake America."

He pulled a similar move right after taking office last year, when he signed an order that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the "Gulf of America."