DOJ shifts to 'super intelligence' term, what that means for Fresno agencies

Key Takeaways

1. On Oct. 6, 2026, DOJ directed staff to use the term "super intelligence" in most references.
2. On Oct. 4, 2026, President Trump named DNI Jay Clayton to lead a federal AI task force.
3. California agencies will keep saying "artificial intelligence" under a Sept. 30 executive order.
4. Local grant writers and contractors may need to sync language across federal and state forms.

Jay Clayton has a new assignment. On Sunday, Oct. 4, President Donald Trump put the director of national intelligence in charge of a new federal task force on artificial intelligence. For Fresno agencies and campuses that file federal grants and court paperwork, the bigger shift landed Tuesday, when the Justice Department told staff to use "super intelligence" in most references.

The words matter. Grant language, bid specs, and court filings key off exact terms, and a mismatch between state and federal wording can slow things down for cities, counties, and schools from Fresno to Merced.

What changed in Washington

The administration’s move comes a week after the White House touted an industry accord with major tech firms on AI safety and governance. On Oct. 6, federal lawyers and staff were told to swap "artificial intelligence" for "super intelligence" in memos and filings, reflecting the new preferred terminology in Washington. Two days earlier, Jay Clayton took on the job of coordinating the government’s AI efforts across agencies.

California is taking a different tack. On Sept. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed worker-protection bills tied to AI and told state agencies to stick with the plain term "artificial intelligence" in their own work. That split could confuse forms.

Why this matters in the Valley

Here’s where the friction shows up locally: a Fresno city IT request for proposals might cite "artificial intelligence" to align with state guidance, while a federal grant application that same department submits could now expect "super intelligence" language. And that could matter for bids this fall.

Public universities live in both worlds. California State University, Fresno and UC Merced pull state and federal dollars, so research compliance offices will be checking whether to mirror federal phrasing in project abstracts while keeping state-required language in reporting. County counsel and city attorneys will be doing the same crosswalk on contracts and public-records requests that mention AI tools used for hiring, traffic cameras, or customer service chatbots.

Courts are another choke point. If a case in Fresno County Superior Court references a federal policy memo by title, the captioning needs to match. That is the sort of detail that can bounce a filing back across the counter for correction.

What local agencies should watch

• Procurement templates: Check whether "artificial intelligence" appears in boilerplate and decide if a parenthetical is needed, for example, "artificial intelligence (federally termed 'super intelligence')."
• Grants and audits: Use the sponsor’s term in the application body, but keep internal indexing consistent so staff can find past projects later.
• Public messaging: When a city or district explains a new AI tool, pick one primary term and explain the other once. Don’t ping-pong between them.
• Labor agreements: If a contract references "AI," changing definitions midstream can trigger meet-and-confer duties, so get it in writing which term controls.

Outside the county building at 6 p.m., it was 97 degrees. Inside, staff will be opening Word templates and deciding whether one new phrase belongs in the subject line next to a blue-ink signature.