AI to SI: How the Rename Is Landing, from Newsom's Jab to Slovenia's Domain Boom

A week after Executive Order 14434 told federal agencies to stop saying “AI”, the new term is everywhere: in headlines, in jokes and in awkward speeches. Here’s how it is landing.

Politicians: a new front in an old feud

California Governor Gavin Newsom answered with a state executive order of his own, signed September 30, directing California agencies and departments under his authority to keep using “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI”. He announced it on X: “I just signed an executive order permanently declaring Artificial Intelligence ‘Artificial Intelligence’ in California. You’re welcome, America.” The federal order does not bind state governments. The White House frames the change as overdue recognition that today’s systems “do much more than imitate or automate discrete aspects of human intelligence.”

Industry: adapting in real time

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a signatory of the SI Accord, used “super intelligence” repeatedly at a September 29 White House panel. According to Axios, when he slipped once and said “AI”, he corrected himself and said he was going to “get good at this”. Most companies have not changed their branding. Names like OpenAI and Mistral AI aren’t affected by the order.

Researchers: “superintelligence” already meant something

The sharpest criticism comes from the research community. For decades “superintelligence” has meant hypothetical systems far smarter than humans, the kind Senator Bernie Sanders proposed banning a week earlier. Using “Super Intelligence” for today’s chatbots risks muddying safety debates. We explain the difference in SI vs superintelligence.

Lawyers: nothing has changed (yet)

Law firms advising clients have stressed that the order is about terminology. Statutes, regulations and contracts still say “artificial intelligence”, and SI is defined by reference to the existing legal definition. The real legal moment comes with the proposed federal definition due around November 28.

And the unexpected winner: Slovenia

“SI” is also the internet country code of Slovenia. Press reports, including CircleID and The Star, say registrations of .si domain names surged after the announcement, leading some outlets to suggest that the real beneficiary of the rename may be Slovenia. We have not independently verified the exact registration figures.