{"id":6073,"date":"2026-10-28T11:53:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/?p=6073"},"modified":"2026-10-28T11:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:53:48","slug":"artificial-intelligence-or-super-intelligence-does-the-name-change-the-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/?p=6073","title":{"rendered":"Artificial Intelligence or Super Intelligence: Does the name change the threat?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 59 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

During a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, President Trump introduced new terminology for Artificial Intelligence (AI), referring to it as Super Intelligence (SI). While those within Trump’s inner circles have appeared to adopt the new name relatively quickly, it has yet to gain traction beyond the walls of the White House and especially outside America. Among those, Elon Musk caught himself using the term \u2018AI \u2019 before correcting himself to \u2018SI\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, the attempted rebranding<\/a> resembles the controversy surrounding the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America or changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. A change only marked on American maps, and not yet one to be recognised internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing geographic names does not change the fundamentals of what or where it is. Just the same as changing names for technology, altering the name does not alter how the rest of the world will view it. However, the distinction between artificial intelligence and superintelligence raises the question of whether it is simply a name change or an attempt to reshape how we perceive the technology itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to NASA<\/a>, Artificial Intelligence is a term that encompasses machine-based systems that \u2018can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments.\u2019 Interestingly, NASA does not separate the terms AI and SI; this is the definition they have combined and used for both. However, other researchers suggest that the two terms are not interchangeable. Super Intelligence should refer to an advanced form of intelligence<\/a> that exceeds human capability and cognitive capabilities.\u00a0So, changing the name does not just mean we call it something new; it really means a change in capability in what we are using. It implies a level of capability that ordinary AI systems can\u2019t achieve, which alters the ability altogether.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another point to be made is how the term artificial intelligence acknowledges the fundamental aspect that it is artificial and not human. No matter how sophisticated they become, they are not human life and remain technologies created by people. However, as AI becomes more embedded in everyday life, from job applications and recruitment to global security, its influence is becoming difficult to ignore. We are now entering a new technological era, which is starting to resemble that of the Cold War. The defining competition among states and companies is focusing less on nuclear weapons and more on computing power and AI advancements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk himself has offered a particularly unsettling perspective on where this race could lead. Despite being one of the most prominent figures in the AI industry, he warned on his social media platform X that \u2018so many people are going to get one-shotted by persuasive super intelligence<\/a>\u2019. The phrase \u2018one-shotted\u2019 is a gaming term used to describe being defeated or taken out in \u2018one shot \u2019. When an expert with a range of investments and companies in the AI field says something like this, it suggests a technology capable of overwhelming human judgment before people can respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk subsequently admitted that he \u2018might be one of them<\/a>\u2019. When someone so deeply involved in the field says something like this and shows concerns over being outmaneuvered by AI, it\u2019s worth asking what this means for everyone else. If the people who are building the systems fear their potential, what becomes the use in changing the name?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the rebranding is intended to make the technology sound less frightening. I think that the term \u2018artificial\u2019 carries a dystopian association in the media and entertainment. Whereas \u2018superintelligence\u2019 might sound more aspirational, suggesting that it is something not to be feared, and rather something to aid you, something more beneficial to humanity. <\/a>Yet, it can make it seem like the prospect of machines surpassing human ability and control is inevitable. Whilst the future of superintelligence still remains uncertain, there is a risk that the languages used could encourage the public to overestimate what existing systems can do. Whether this is deliberate political messaging or a reflection of growing technological ambition, the words politization\u2019s use can influence how we understand the risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the debate isn\u2019t about which abbreviation we use. Calling it AI or SI does not change the fact that that the consequence of its development remains uncertain. Language can influence public perception by softening anxieties and making radical change more accepted.\u00a0Which name gets used does not removed the risks involved. I think we should be putting less effort into deciding what name to use, and think more about how much power we are willing to give it. The name might change, however the risk persists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Adnana Moraru<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: AI Artificial Intelligence concept, Jernej Furman, 2023<\/a> \/\/ CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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