Science & Tech · AI · 2 days ago
Trump directs federal agencies to use “superintelligence” instead of AI
Artificial intelligence is used today in tools such as chatbots, translators and recommendation systems.
Superintelligence means a hypothetical system that could outperform people in almost all thinking tasks.
Scientists say today’s AI does not meet that description, and there is no agreement on whether or when superintelligence might exist.
Trump’s order applies to federal agencies, not private companies or the public, and it does not change how AI tools work.
U.S. President Donald Trump wants government agencies to use “superintelligence” instead of “artificial intelligence,” saying the term sounds better and is more precise.
On October 8, Trump said on Truth Social that the White House considers people who keep using the traditional term to be enemies, but the article reports no concrete penalties or sanctions.
A September decree directed federal agencies to adopt the new terminology, while using the existing U.S. legal definition of artificial intelligence as its reference.
Scientists distinguish superintelligence from current artificial intelligence: it describes a hypothetical system that would greatly exceed human performance across nearly all cognitive tasks.
The terminology change applies only to federal government communications and does not require companies or citizens to stop using “artificial intelligence.”
- Who
- U.S. President Donald Trump and federal government agencies
- What
- Trump is seeking to replace “artificial intelligence” with “superintelligence” in federal communications.
- When
- The decree was issued in September; Trump reiterated the position on October 8.
- Where
- The United States
- Why
- Trump says the new term sounds better and is more precise; the article says the change may also aim to give the technology a more favorable image.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
No direct quotes in the coverage so far.
Trump publicly favored the term “superintelligence” during the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump issued a decree directing federal agencies to adopt the new terminology.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the White House considers those who continue to use “artificial intelligence” to be enemies.
InfoMoney published an article explaining the proposed terminology change and the scientific distinction between artificial intelligence and superintelligence.
- Federal terminology
- The decree directs federal agencies to use “superintelligence” in official communications.
- Scope
- The change does not require private companies or citizens to stop using “artificial intelligence.”
- Scientific meaning
- Superintelligence refers to a hypothetical system that would greatly surpass human performance in nearly all cognitive activities.
- Nick Bostrom book
- Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies was published in 2014.
- Current impact
- The terminology change does not alter the capabilities or rules of use of products such as ChatGPT or Gemini.
Sources
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