Shift from ‘Artificial Intelligence’ to ‘Super Intelligence’ Gains Traction

President Donald Trump’s initiative to replace the term ‘artificial intelligence’ with ‘super intelligence’ has caught the attention of key figures in Silicon Valley and Republican legislators. While some of America’s major tech firms continue to use the AI label, others are aligning with Trump’s new terminology.

Executive Order and Industry Reactions

On September 29, Trump signed an executive order that mandates executive branch agencies to use ‘Super Intelligence’ or ‘SI’ in official communications instead of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ or ‘AI’. The order claims this term better encapsulates the technology’s ‘promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities’.

This executive order was announced at a White House event attended by influential tech leaders. However, a divide soon became evident between companies adopting the new terminology and those sticking with established language.

Endorsements from Industry Leaders

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, has shown clear support for Trump’s rebranding effort. On October 8, Nvidia pledged a $1 billion investment in U.S. scientific advancement over the next five years, using Trump’s terminology in their announcement. They emphasized expanding ‘super intelligence research and development’. Huang stated, ‘President Trump’s Genesis Mission is launching a new golden age of American discovery.’

Mark Zuckerberg incorporates the term into Meta’s long-term vision. Though Meta had already embraced ‘personal superintelligence’, Zuckerberg’s endorsement was independent of Trump’s rebrand. He highlighted the importance of equitable access to superintelligence in future innovations.

Elon Musk actively embraced the terminology shift, suggesting SpaceXAI would become ‘SpaceXSI’. He tweeted, ‘No more AI’, calling ‘SI’ better.

Marc Benioff of Salesforce renamed their platform from AIForce to ‘SIForce’, signaling the ‘era of Super Intelligence’.

Satya Nadella from Microsoft, while supporting the shift in language, hasn’t announced specific rebranding. He emphasized the need for robust safeguards around advanced systems and suggested an ’emergency brake’ for model control.

Resistance to Rebranding

Despite attending the White House meeting, leaders from companies like Google and Anthropic are yet to change their terminology. Anthropic, for instance, continues to reference AI in its communications, indicating a cautious approach towards the transition.

Amazon Web Services still maintains an ‘Artificial Intelligence’ focus in its communications, describing artificial superintelligence as ‘a theoretical concept’.

Political Adoption

Republican politicians are beginning to use the new terminology. House Speaker Mike Johnson referred to tech executives as ‘super intelligence industry leaders’ post the White House meeting. Senator Joni Ernst referred to SI, though clarified its association with AI. Senator Bernie Moreno expressed support for the term, crediting Trump for his commitment to leading in SI development.