Trump Seeks to Rebrand Artificial Intelligence as 'Super Intelligence'

President Donald Trump has announced his intention to rename artificial intelligence (AI) as "super intelligence" (SI), asserting that the current term "makes the technology sound fake." Trump introduced the concept during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"From this point forward, all of United States' documents, and hopefully the world's, will be changed to use the more accurate term 'super' as opposed to 'artificial'. So its 'super intelligence'," Trump stated. He had previously solicited name suggestions from his social media followers on Truth Social, with "super intelligence" emerging as the preferred option over "superior intelligence," "extreme intelligence," and "supreme intelligence."

While some individuals within Trump's circle have begun adopting the new terminology, technology experts largely believe the rebranding effort is unlikely to gain widespread acceptance within the industry. The term "super intelligence" typically refers to a hypothetical future stage of AI development where intellect surpasses human capabilities, a concept notably explored by philosopher Nick Bostrom.

Digital ethics lecturer Simon Coghlan from The University of Melbourne described the rebranding as "misleading," explaining that "super intelligence" in a technical context signifies an intellect capable of self-improvement and far beyond current AI capacities. He expressed doubt that "SI" will become the standard term, particularly because it may exaggerate the present capabilities of AI.

Ben Leong, a computer science lecturer at the National University of Singapore, suggested that professionals are likely to reserve "SI" for a more advanced form of AI than what exists today, stating, "It doesn't feel like it's at that level yet."

Despite expert reservations, some administration officials have embraced the new designation. US Chief Technology Officer Ethan Klein posted on social media, "The Super Intelligence (SI) President has spoken! The United States is and will remain the global leader in SI." Similarly, Michael Waltz, Trump's ambassador to the UN, commented that he believed the president was "absolutely right" about the renaming.

However, not all international figures are receptive to the change. Canada's minister of AI, Evan Solomon, responded to inquiries about the new name by stating, "Canadians are not enthusiastic, at all, about renaming things," a remark that appeared to reference Trump's previous actions regarding place names.

AI is generally defined as computer technology enabling machines to perform tasks that typically require human cognitive abilities. The purpose behind Trump's rebranding initiative and its potential adoption by the technology sector remain unclear.