President Trump’s recent executive order rebranding artificial intelligence as "Super Intelligence" (SI) is taking effect across government agencies. The stated rationale is that today’s systems "amplify human ingenuity" rather than merely imitating intelligence. The new terminology appears in solicitations, like surveillance requests from ICE, and on various federal websites. However, the transition remains inconsistent; the Pentagon's Project Meridian and press releases from agencies like Health and Human Services still utilize the old terminology.
Tech industry alignment with the new term also shows mixed results. While leaders from Google, Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, xAI, and Nvidia signed the "White House Accord on Super Intelligence," third-quarter earnings calls reveal limited adoption. Only Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk consistently used the term, though Meta had already been using it since last year. Musk also pledged to rename his venture SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI. Meanwhile, executives from Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet continued using "AI" in their presentations.
Beyond the administrative costs and the directive for federal agencies to draft new legislative definitions by month's end, the author expresses concern over the broader societal impact. There is apprehension that "Super Intelligence" could become a political loyalty test, polarizing public discourse. Tying technology terminology to political allegiance could potentially disrupt the newly forming, bipartisan national conversation about how these systems will transform daily life, right when broad public engagement is beginning to take shape.