Trump Renames AI 'Super Intelligence,' Creates AI Force, Eyes Bessent as Czar

President Trump directed all US government documents to replace 'artificial intelligence' with 'super intelligence,' announced an 'AI Force' modeled on Space Force, and plans to appoint an AI czar, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as a frontrunner. Trump made the terminology announcement at the UN General Assembly, and the State Department's bureau deputy assistant secretary Michael Draper sent staff an email instructing them to change all references from 'AI' to 'SI' in documents, remarks, and press materials. Trump argued the word 'artificial' makes the technology 'sound fake' and expressed hope the terminology shift would extend worldwide. He also rejected international AI regulation, opposing what he called a 'globalist scheme' to control AI, and framed AI leadership as a competition with China, saying 'Whoever wins SI wins.' Trump dismissed AI safety concerns as a 'hoax,' drawing analogies to what he called the 'Russia hoax' and 'global warming' rebranding, and said existing criminal and civil law would handle AI harms rather than new regulation. On Truth Social, Trump wrote the US would 'not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry' and described the AI Force as formed 'much like I did Space Force.' Bessent has publicly argued for more US open-source AI models, warning that 'large labs could achieve regulatory capture, which would stifle innovation,' and framing open-source as a strategic counter to China. The AI czar is an informal title with no formal Cabinet standing, and the role's scope remains unclear. Trump's AI safety office has lacked permanent leadership since its director resigned in July 2026, and no dedicated AI policy czar has been in place since David Sacks left that informal role in March 2026.