From AI to SI: What’s in a Name?
You open your laptop and ask a chatbot for help. It answers. Now imagine the government calling that technology “super intelligence.” Would the new name change what you expect from the same screen?
On September 29, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal executive branch to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI,” to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Why change the name? The White House argues that “Artificial Intelligence” suggests technologies that imitate or automate human intelligence. In the White House’s view, that language no longer captures the expanding capabilities of today’s frontier systems.
These technologies, the administration says, increasingly amplify human ingenuity and unlock new forms of creativity. Across science, medicine, and other fields, they help Americans achieve what was previously impossible. “Super Intelligence,” it argues, better expresses those capabilities and their promise.
The naming policy therefore carries a message: the government wants to emphasize what these technologies can make possible. The White House says the new terminology will keep agencies focused on expanding the capabilities and applications of these technologies to strengthen the economy and improve Americans’ lives.
Yet the order initially defines SI using the existing statutory definition of AI. The new name does not itself establish new technological capabilities. For now, the systems covered by the definition remain the same.
Names shape expectations. Calling a technology “super” invites people to imagine more than assistance or automation. When the government changes the name, what should citizens expect to change?
By Charles J. B.
