A landmark agreement aimed at governing the future of advanced technology is facing unexpected scrutiny this week, though not because of its regulatory framework. President Donald Trump recently signed the White House Accord on Super Intelligence alongside some of the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley, but internet sleuths quickly noticed a glaring typo beneath the presidential signature. In a document meant to establish global leadership in tech safety, the words United States were instead written as Unites States.
The error became a viral sensation shortly after the administration posted the document to social media on September 30. While the White House has remained silent regarding how such a mistake made it into a high profile accord, political opponents wasted no time capitalizing on the slip. California Governor Gavin Newsom among others took to social media to mock the blunder, turning a serious discussion about machine learning into a punchline for critics across the political spectrum.
Beyond the spelling mishap, the accord represents a significant shift in terminology and policy. President Trump has moved to officially rebrand artificial intelligence as super intelligence, arguing that the term artificial implies something fake whereas super captures the supreme nature of the technology. This rebranding coincided with the launch of America.gov, an AI powered portal designed to streamline federal services for citizens.
Despite the mockery over the typo, the substance of the agreement involves heavy hitters from companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI. Signatories including Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg agreed to implement robust internal controls and work with independent auditors to ensure these systems behave as intended. Trump likened the morally binding deal to a constitution for tech, emphasizing that it relies heavily on self policing by those who lead the industry.
