On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he plans to ban the term "artificial intelligence" from relevant government documents. That is a sentence I did not expect to write, and yet here we are. The announcement drew a quick response from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who argued that renaming the technology will not address concerns about AI oversight.

Trump Wants to Replace AI With Super Intelligence

"In short order, we will be officially BANNING the term, 'AI/Artificial Intelligence,' in all relevant documents, and everything else, due to its inaccuracy," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president also criticized The Wall Street Journal for continuing to use the term, urging the publication to adopt "SI," or super intelligence, instead.

This is not a one-off post. Trump signed an executive order in September directing the executive branch to use "super intelligence" in place of AI. He also warned earlier this month that the White House considers those who use "Artificial Intelligence" instead of "Super Intelligence" to be "THE ENEMY!" So the stakes here are, let's say, somewhat higher than your average style guide debate.

Ted Lieu Pushes Back on Trump's AI Policy

Lieu criticized Trump's approach in a post on X, arguing that the administration's decisions on AI oversight are more consequential than its terminology preferences.

"Artificial Intelligence is what normal folks call AI," Lieu wrote.

"Trump's decision to let AI run wild was a horrible decision. Trying to rename AI doesn't change that," he added.

Lieu also challenged the president's authority to dictate how Americans describe the technology, writing, "POTUS can't compel speech from Americans."

That is the crux of it, really. You can rename a thing in a government memo, but the thing itself keeps doing what it does. The words change; the oversight questions do not.

Trump Establishes Super Intelligence Force

Earlier this month, Trump announced a "Super Intelligence Force," led by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton.

The group is tasked with coordinating federal efforts to maintain U.S. leadership in super intelligence and engaging with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers and companies developing the technology.

Previously, Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said that he agrees with Trump that the word "artificial" does not accurately convey the technology's capabilities.

Elon Musk also said that SpaceXAI, the AI subsidiary of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX), will be renamed SpaceXSI, writing on X, "No more AI. SI. It's better."

So the rebrand has some momentum behind it. Whether a new acronym changes anything about how the technology is built, deployed or regulated is a different question, and one that a naming convention is not going to answer.