Donald Trump wants to change the name of artificial intelligence to “superintelligence” and rejects calls to slow down AI development

Donald Trump announced Tuesday, in a speech delivered at the United Nations General Assembly, that his administration will replace the term “artificial intelligence” with “superintelligence,” abbreviated “SI,” in official United States documents. The American president justified the change by saying that the term “artificial” suggests something fake, even though the technology is, in his view, “extraordinary.”

Trump rejected international calls to slow the development of artificial intelligence and said that the United States would continue to encourage the field. He argued that superintelligence could become more important to humanity than the Industrial Revolution or the internet and said that his country is leading the technological race.

The American president acknowledged the existence of risks but said they could be managed through state institutions and law enforcement agencies. Trump mocked warnings that artificial intelligence could destroy society or cause robots to attack people.

The term “superintelligence” is already used in the industry to describe a hypothetical level at which artificial systems surpass human intelligence in nearly all fields. The statements were made as several companies and former industry employees call for regulations governing the safety of AI development. The Trump administration will host an event dedicated to artificial intelligence this week, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.