Trump Signs Voluntary AI Safety Accord at White House Summit

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing federal agencies to start calling artificial intelligence super intelligence instead, framing the shift as a way to move past public doubts about the technology. The move came after a White House lunch with executives from companies including Meta, Google, Nvidia, Anthropic and OpenAI, where participants agreed to a short voluntary document on handling advanced systems.

The order takes effect right away for government work, though most Americans will keep using the old term. Trump told reporters the new label better reflects what the tools can do and dismissed safety worries that have grown louder in recent weeks. He said the previous name made the technology sound suspicious, but super intelligence does not carry the same baggage. He added that the companies involved had committed to a morally binding accord to police their own work, without new federal rules or oversight.

Executives at the event included Elon Musk of SpaceX, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Dario Amodei of Anthropic. The group signed a two-page statement that placed responsibility on each firm to develop its products safely and maintain public trust. Trump described the paper as a kind of constitution for the industry, though he acknowledged it carries no legal force.

The gathering followed weeks of public warnings from some of the same leaders about risks from the most powerful models. Amodei and others had called for stronger guardrails earlier this month, yet the White House event produced no new requirements. Instead, the focus stayed on the name change and the self-policing pledge. Trump rejected the idea that safety concerns amounted to a hoax, saying the rebrand alone addressed that perception.

Critics noted the document leaves enforcement to the same companies that stand to profit from rapid deployment. The accord states each firm must act responsibly toward customers and the public, but it offers no independent checks or penalties for falling short. Federal workers will now update forms, reports and training materials to reflect the new term, adding paperwork without changing how the systems operate.

The event drew attention for its mix of participants who have both promoted and cautioned about the technology. Musk and Amodei have voiced different levels of concern in the past, yet both signed on to the voluntary approach. Trump presented the outcome as a win for American leadership in the field, insisting the country must move forward without unnecessary restrictions.

Public reaction has split along familiar lines, with some welcoming the emphasis on innovation and others questioning whether a name change and a promise to behave will be enough. The administration has made clear it prefers industry-led solutions over legislation, a stance that leaves the burden on the companies themselves to avoid problems down the road.