AI summary
- Six tech leaders signed a voluntary White House safety accord on 29 September, but The Rio Times reports that the one-page document never uses the term SI.
- According to dev.ua, the Office of Science and Technology Policy has 60 days to prepare proposals for a formal legislative definition of the term.
- A University of Chicago marketing professor told Newsweek the rebrand is unlikely to take off unless tech leaders adopt the term.
- For .si buyers, SI has government backing but no industry adoption yet, so most .si names are still speculation.
What's new since the order was signed
I've already written about the executive order itself. This post looks at what came with it, and what that tells you about whether SI will last outside government.
On Tuesday 29 September, President Trump signed an order that, according to Newsweek, directs federal agencies to stop using the terms artificial intelligence and AI in official communications, policy documents and correspondence, and to use Super Intelligence and SI instead. On the same day, six tech leaders signed a separate, voluntary safety pact at the White House.
The detail I'd underline comes from dev.ua: the Office of Science and Technology Policy has been given 60 days to prepare proposals for a formal legislative definition of the term. A word that lives only in official memos is one thing. A word with a proposed legal definition is something else.
The accord that doesn't say SI
The document is titled the White House Accord on Super Intelligence, with the subtitle "Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities". The Rio Times read every line and reports that it fills just one page and never uses SI. House Speaker Mike Johnson read the subtitle as "Joint Commitment on Frontier SI Responsibilities", but the printed page doesn't say that.
According to The Hindu and GovCon Wire, the signatories were Sundar Pichai of Google, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Greg Brockman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of xAI and Jensen Huang of Nvidia. The Rio Times reports that Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, AMD's Lisa Su and Palantir's Alex Karp came to the lunch but didn't sign.
The Hindu lists four steps: internal controls to prevent unintended AI hacking, an internal team to manage safety, an independent external auditor, and an independent board committee to handle reports. It isn't legally enforceable. Trump called it "morally binding", Johnson called it "commitments that are voluntary on behalf of the industry" and Zuckerberg called it "a start".
Why the industry's choice of word matters
This is the test I'd watch most closely. University of Chicago marketing professor Jean-Pierre Dubé told Newsweek: "[I]t seems unlikely the re-branding will take off unless tech leaders adopt the term". He also pointed to brand confusion, since superintelligence already has a very specific meaning in the tech world.
News24 explains that, in AI research, superintelligence generally refers to a future system that could perform intellectual tasks much better than humans across almost all areas. As it puts it: "Changing the name does not change what current AI systems can do".
So far the signals point both ways. News24 reports that the State Department began using the new terminology in some official communications, and The Hindu cites AP as reporting that US diplomats have been instructed to make the change. On the other side, Newsweek says the order applies to nonstatutory documents, leaving it uncertain whether laws and agency names that already include AI will be affected. The Rio Times puts it plainly: US law still says artificial intelligence. And dev.ua notes that millions of Americans will keep using the familiar name.
Three things to put in your diary
- The 60-day definition deadline. If the clock started when the order was signed on 29 September, the proposals would be due in late November. A formal definition would make SI more than a style rule for officials.
- The 3 November midterms. The Rio Times says the timing of all this is political, and the midterms decide who controls Congress. The order needed no vote in Congress, and US law still says artificial intelligence.
- The accord's regular meetings. The Hindu quotes the accord as saying "participating companies will meet regularly to establish standards and best practices to improve the safety of their systems". When they publish anything, check whether it says SI or AI. That's Dubé's test in practice.
Names that fit this moment
The accord is about trust, safety and checking that systems work as intended. A few plain-word names on my list at aidomains.si fit that theme, and I'll be straight about each one:
- liedetector.si ($3,000): 60,500 searches a month worldwide. The .ai is listed at $65,000 and the .com has been held since 1998.
- voiceprint.si ($1,000): the .ai asks $49,800. The .com is for sale with the price on request, so ask for that price first. If it's affordable, the .com is probably the better buy. Searches are modest at 1,000 a month.
- futurehuman.si ($1,500): 5,400 searches a month. The .ai asks $290,000 and the .com has been held since 1999.
- greatmind.si ($2,000): 33,100 searches a month. The .com is listed at $500,000 and the .ai is for sale with the price on request, so check that too.
None of these is a sure thing. They're generic words, not anyone's brand, and that's the only kind of .si I'd consider.
Should you buy a .si name because of this?
Honestly, not on the strength of this news alone. Most .si names are speculation, the aftermarket is small and there's no guarantee you'll be able to resell. SI has government backing but no industry adoption yet, and the accord the tech chiefs signed doesn't even use the term. If you buy one, buy it because the name suits a real project, and pay a price you won't regret if the term fades.
Before you buy, run the name through this three-question test:
- Are the .com and .ai taken or expensive? If you can get the .com at a fair price, buy the .com. It's the stronger asset.
- Is it a generic name rather than a brand? Don't buy a .si that copies one company's name. Stick to plain words.
- Do people search for it? Check the real search volume. A name with 1,000 searches a month is a niche bet. One with 60,500 isn't.
If a name passes all three, a .si can be a sensible, low-cost way in. If it fails any one of them, I'd walk away.
Names from this store that pass the test
Questions
Does the White House accord use the term SI?
No. The Rio Times reports that the accord never uses SI. Its printed subtitle is Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities, although Speaker Mike Johnson added SI when he read it.
Who signed the accord?
Sundar Pichai (Google), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Greg Brockman (OpenAI), Elon Musk (xAI) and Jensen Huang (Nvidia). Microsoft's Satya Nadella came to the lunch but didn't sign.
Does the executive order change US law?
No. Newsweek says it applies to nonstatutory documents across the executive branch, and The Rio Times notes that US law still says artificial intelligence. dev.ua reports that the Office of Science and Technology Policy has 60 days to prepare proposals for a formal legislative definition.
Is the accord legally enforceable?
No. It's voluntary. Trump called it "morally binding", and critics pointed out that it has no penalty clause.
Sources
- Newsweek, 2026-09-29
- The Rio Times, 2026-09-30
- The Hindu, 2026-09-30
- dev.ua, 2026-09-30
- News24, 2026-09-30
- GovCon Wire, 2026-09-30
This post was researched and drafted with AI help from the sources above, then checked by me before publishing. Facts are as reported on the dates shown.