Trump Rescinds “Super Intelligence” Rebrand After Learning “SI” Is Spanish
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abruptly rescinded his administration’s decision to rename artificial intelligence “Super Intelligence” on Tuesday after learning that its new acronym, “SI,” closely resembles sí, the Spanish word for “yes.”
According to officials familiar with the discussion, the problem was discovered shortly after Trump reviewed materials bearing the administration’s new slogan:
AMERICA LEADS THE WORLD IN SI
An aide reportedly mentioned that the slogan might read differently to Spanish speakers.
Trump asked why.
“Because sí means ‘yes’ in Spanish, sir.”
Trump reportedly studied the acronym.
“For everybody?”
The aide explained that this was how languages generally worked.
Trump then asked how many people in the United States spoke Spanish.
After being given an estimate, the president reportedly responded, “That many?”
The executive order was brought back into the room.
“We can’t call it SI if it’s already Spanish,” Trump said, according to an official present for the conversation. “This is an American technology.”
An aide attempted to explain that the letters S and I themselves remained available for use in English.
Trump was reportedly unconvinced.
“You say that now,” he said.
Administration officials spent much of the afternoon removing newly printed signs from federal offices, including one outside a technology-policy meeting that read WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF SI.
Trump later addressed the issue during an appearance with reporters.
“SI was a tremendous name,” he said. “Very strong. Super Intelligence. Much better than artificial, because artificial sounds fake. Then somebody comes in and tells me it’s Spanish.”
Trump shook his head.
“Nobody mentioned that before.”
Asked whether the Spanish language had any actual claim over the acronym, Trump said officials were investigating.
“We’re finding out when they started using it,” he said. “Because sometimes these things happen. You announce something, suddenly everybody says they had it first.”
A reporter explained that sí had been used in Spanish for centuries.
“That’s what they’re saying,” Trump replied.
The president then asked whether the word was commonly used in Mexico.
When told that it was, Trump nodded.
“Okay. Well, that tells you something.”
He did not elaborate.
The White House subsequently ordered what officials described as a “linguistic security review” of potential replacement names.
The first alternative presented to Trump was American Super Intelligence, abbreviated “ASI.”
Trump reportedly liked it until an aide explained that así is another Spanish word.
“You’re kidding.”
The aide assured him he was not.
“How many words do they have?”
The second proposal, National Artificial Intelligence, was abandoned after Trump decided the acronym “NAI” sounded “possibly foreign.”
An aide said it did not correspond to any relevant Spanish word.
“Still,” Trump replied. “Why take the chance?”
At one point, officials suggested simply returning to “AI.”
Trump objected because the administration had already announced that “AI” was an inferior name.
“You can’t go backwards,” he said. “Plus, we don’t know what AI means in Spanish yet.”
An aide explained that it did not mean anything in particular.
Trump asked whether anyone had checked Mexico.
The aide said yes.
“What about Puerto Rico?”
The aide quietly reminded the president that Puerto Rico was part of the United States.
“I know that,” Trump replied. “That’s why I asked.”
By early evening, staff members had reportedly begun running every proposed acronym through translation software before allowing the president to see it.
One official described the process as increasingly difficult because Trump had expanded the review to include Portuguese after being informed that it was spoken in Brazil.
“We have to be careful,” Trump told reporters. “There are a lot of languages out there. More than people realize.”
He said the administration would announce a replacement soon.
“It’ll be a beautiful name,” Trump said. “Very American. English letters. English meaning. We’re checking everything.”
Asked whether the administration might consult a linguist, Trump appeared receptive.
“Absolutely,” he said. “As long as they speak English.”