Trump renames AI 'Super Intelligence', calls it 'much bigger than internet'

Trump has directed the federal government to use 'Super Intelligence' instead of AI, while major technology firms agreed to a voluntary pact outlining four layers of safety measures

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the US government will officially refer to artificial intelligence (AI) as ‘Super Intelligence’ (SI). The directive came as Trump hosted a high-level luncheon at the White House with leading technology industry executives, including SpaceX and Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, among others.

 

Trump said the terminology change would be formally reflected in US government communications. He signed an executive order titled ‘Inaugurating The Era Of Super Intelligence’, directing the executive branch to use ‘Super Intelligence’ and ‘SI’ in place of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘AI’, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

 

 

Why is Trump replacing AI with ‘Super Intelligence’?

 

According to Trump, AI is the "biggest thing there is, maybe the biggest thing there’s ever been". "It’s much bigger than the internet," he said.

 

The new terminology is to be used by departments and agencies in official correspondence, public communications, policy and other applicable non-statutory documents.

 

The order also directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, in consultation with other agencies, to submit proposed legislative language within 60 days to establish a federal definition of ‘Super Intelligence’ and ‘SI’.

 

According to the executive order, “The terminology should reflect the transformative capabilities of these technologies and the limitless opportunities they create for the American people. Accordingly, the term ‘Super Intelligence’ more appropriately captures the promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities of these technologies.”

 

What does the voluntary AI safety pact propose?

 

During the meeting with technology leaders, Trump also said executives from some of the world’s biggest AI companies had signed a morally binding commitment to strengthen safeguards around the rapidly advancing technology.

 

Trump said the companies had agreed to police themselves through a voluntary pact that would not be legally enforceable.

 

“They’re going to police themselves,” Trump said, describing the agreement as a commitment by technology companies to put safeguards in place as AI systems become more advanced.

 

A document titled White House Accord on Super Intelligence: Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities says companies developing advanced AI models should adopt four layers of safeguards and audits to build public confidence.

 

The proposed measures include monitoring AI models during training and deployment for risks involving cybersecurity, biosecurity and chemical threats; assigning internal teams to ensure safeguards function properly; commissioning independent external auditors to assess those controls; and establishing independent board committees to oversee the process and ensure that identified problems are resolved.

 

Participating companies are also expected to meet regularly to establish common standards and best practices.

 

The document leaves open the possibility that these measures could eventually be incorporated into laws or regulations, but the agreement itself is voluntary and does not establish a legally enforceable framework.

 

Speaking on the AI safety pact, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the commitment was intended to reassure customers that AI systems would function as intended. He described the accord as a starting point for developing industry-wide safety standards.