US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will begin referring to artificial intelligence (AI) as “super intelligence” in official government documents.
Trump made the announcement on Tuesday during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He argued that the word “artificial” makes intelligence sound fake, despite the technology’s growing capabilities.
“The use of the word artificial makes intelligence sound fake. It makes it sound fake, and it is not fake. It’s actually amazing, but we have to be careful,” Mr Trump said.
He said US government documents would henceforth use “super intelligence”, or “SI”, and expressed hope that other countries would adopt the terminology.
“Welcome to the new world of super intelligence — SI,” he said.
Mr Trump also rejected calls for tighter global controls on AI, saying the US would encourage its development while monitoring potential risks through the Department of Justice and other law-enforcement agencies.
He described the technology as potentially more significant than the Industrial Revolution or the internet.
“Whoever wins SI, whoever wins super intelligence, wins,” Mr Trump said, adding that the US was currently ahead of China and would seek to maintain its lead.
The president’s proposed terminology differs from the established use of “superintelligence” in AI research, where the term generally refers to hypothetical systems whose intellectual capabilities substantially exceed those of humans.
Trump’s remarks come amid an intensifying global debate over the opportunities and risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems. (thecable.ng)
