Opinion: You cannot rename artificial intelligence into safety

Opinion column. A decree can rename artificial intelligence. It cannot make the technology safer. This week the White House tried the first and offered a promise in place of the second.

The facts are plain. A new executive order directs the executive branch to say “Super Intelligence” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” wherever the law allows. The president’s science adviser has 60 days to propose a statutory definition. The same week, leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Google, Meta, SpaceX, Microsoft, AMD and Palo Alto Networks signed a voluntary safety accord. Mr Trump called it “morally binding”.

Why we cannot rename artificial intelligence into safety

Names shape expectations. “Super Intelligence” suggests machines that outthink people. That is a bolder claim than anything the order itself demonstrates. It also sounds like a victory lap. Regulators and the public need the opposite: sober language and measurable claims.

A statutory definition is a sensible idea. Vague terms make weak laws. But a definition is a starting line. It is not a safeguard.

A moral promise is not a legal one

The accord rests on internal evaluations, outside audits and recurring standards meetings. Those are worthwhile. Yet “morally binding” is a phrase for speeches. Courts do not enforce it. If a company breaks a voluntary pledge, nobody has a clear route to penalties.

That is the gap I would press on. Safety claims should be testable by outsiders. Audit results should be published. Failures should be reported on a deadline. And there should be consequences when firms miss them.

None of this needs a new name. It needs rules that bite. Our earlier report on the White House meeting with tech chiefs described the mood in the room. The test is what follows it.

Branding is cheap. Enforcement is not. Until the second arrives, the first is only a slogan. See CNBC’s report on the order for the political backdrop.

Fact basis: CNBC (29 September 2026), The Neuron daily AI digest (30 September 2026) and White House fact sheet. This is an opinion column; the views are the author’s.