FAQ
Super Intelligence FAQ
32 questions people ask about SI, answered briefly. Each section links to the full explainer.
What Is SI? Super Intelligence, the New Name for AI, Explained
- What does SI stand for?
- SI stands for Super Intelligence. It is the term the U.S. federal government has used since Executive Order 14434 (September 29, 2026) in place of “artificial intelligence” (AI).
- Is SI the same as AI?
- Yes, legally. The order defines “Super Intelligence” and “SI” as the technologies covered by the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. § 9401(3). Only the name changed. The technology did not.
- Is SI the same as superintelligence?
- No. “Superintelligence” (often written ASI) is a long-standing term for a hypothetical system that is far smarter than humans in nearly every domain. SI, as defined in the order, covers today's AI systems, which do not meet that bar.
- Do I have to say SI instead of AI?
- Only if you work for, or write official documents on behalf of, a U.S. federal executive agency. The order does not apply to businesses, the media, Congress, courts, states or the public.
- When did AI become SI?
- President Trump first proposed the new name in a speech to the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2026, and made it official for federal agencies by signing Executive Order 14434 on September 29, 2026. The order was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2026.
- Will the definition of SI change?
- Possibly. The order asks the President's science adviser to propose legislative language for a new federal definition of SI within 60 days, by about November 28, 2026. Any change to the legal definition would need Congress or further presidential action.
AI vs SI: What's the Difference Between AI and Super Intelligence?
- Is SI better than AI?
- No. SI is not a newer or more powerful technology. It is a new name for the same technology. A model called “AI” on September 28, 2026 is called “SI” in U.S. federal documents from September 29, 2026, with no change to what it can do.
- Why did the government change AI to SI?
- The administration says “artificial” undersells what today's systems can do. Executive Order 14434 argues they “increasingly represent not merely artificial intelligence, but a new era of Super Intelligence.” Critics see the change as branding.
- Do other countries use SI?
- Not officially. The order applies only to the U.S. federal executive branch. The European Union's law is still called the AI Act, and other governments, international bodies and most companies still say AI.
- Is AGI the same as SI?
- No. Artificial general intelligence (AGI) means a system that matches humans across most cognitive tasks. SI covers all current AI systems, including narrow ones such as spam filters, so most SI is not AGI.
- Will people actually stop saying AI?
- Nobody knows yet. Federal agencies must switch. Whether businesses and the public follow will depend on adoption by large companies and the media, and on whether Congress writes “Super Intelligence” into law.
SI vs Superintelligence: Why “Super Intelligence” Isn't ASI
- Is ChatGPT a superintelligence?
- No. ChatGPT and similar systems are SI under the U.S. federal definition, because they are AI. They are not superintelligence: they still make basic errors and do not outperform expert humans across virtually all domains.
- Does superintelligence exist yet?
- No. As of October 2026, no system is widely accepted as superintelligent. Several companies, including OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft and Safe Superintelligence Inc., say building it is their goal.
- What is ASI?
- ASI stands for artificial superintelligence: a system whose general intelligence greatly exceeds that of the best humans in practically every field, including science, strategy and social skills.
- How do I know which meaning someone intends?
- Look at the spelling and context. “Super Intelligence” or “SI” in a government or policy context means today's AI. “Superintelligence”, “ASI”, or talk of systems “smarter than humans” and “existential risk” means the hypothetical future system.
- Would a ban on superintelligence ban all AI?
- Not as proposed. Bills and statements calling for a ban, such as the Sanders–Casar bill of September 2026 and the Future of Life Institute's 2025 statement, target artificial superintelligence: systems exceeding human cognitive ability. They do not target the everyday technology the government now calls SI.
Executive Order 14434 Explained: The Order That Renamed AI “Super Intelligence”
- What is Executive Order 14434?
- It is a presidential order titled “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence”, signed by President Donald Trump on September 29, 2026 and published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2026 (FR Doc. 2026-20321). It renames artificial intelligence “Super Intelligence” across the federal executive branch.
- Does Executive Order 14434 apply to private companies?
- No. It directs federal executive departments and agencies only. Companies are not required to change their terminology, though federal contractors may choose to match agency language.
- Does the order change any laws?
- No. An executive order cannot amend statutes. The order defines SI by reference to the existing statutory definition of AI, and it asks for proposed legislative language that Congress could choose to enact.
- What is the deadline in the order?
- Section 3(b) gives the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology 60 days, until about November 28, 2026, to submit proposed legislative language for a federal definition of Super Intelligence.
- Do agencies have to rewrite old documents?
- No. Section 2(b) says nothing in the order requires altering previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants or other historical documents.
- Who wrote the definition of SI?
- For now, SI means whatever 15 U.S.C. § 9401(3) says AI means. That definition comes from the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020. A new definition will be proposed by the President's science adviser, currently Michael Kratsios, who also directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The White House Accord on Super Intelligence, Explained
- Who signed the White House Accord on Super Intelligence?
- Sundar Pichai (Google), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Greg Brockman (OpenAI), Elon Musk (xAI) and Jensen Huang (Nvidia), together with President Trump, on September 29, 2026.
- Is the SI Accord legally binding?
- No. It is a voluntary commitment with no penalties or regulator. President Trump described it as “morally binding”. It leaves open the possibility that its standards could later be written into law or regulation.
- What are the four layers of the Accord?
- (1) Internal controls that monitor model capabilities and alignment during training and deployment; (2) an internal team that checks those controls work and fixes problems; (3) an independent external auditor; and (4) an independent board committee that receives reports and holds executives accountable.
- Is the Accord the same as Executive Order 14434?
- No. They were announced the same day but are separate. The executive order renames AI as Super Intelligence inside the federal government. The Accord is a voluntary agreement among companies about safety oversight.
- Did Microsoft sign the Accord?
- Microsoft was not among the six signatories named at the signing. The signatories were Google, Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, xAI and Nvidia.
When Will Superintelligence Arrive? Every Major Prediction Compared
- Has superintelligence been achieved?
- No. As of October 2026 no system is widely accepted as superintelligent: far better than the best humans across virtually all domains. Frontier models are superhuman at some tasks but still make mistakes a competent person would not.
- When will AGI happen?
- Estimates vary widely. Anthropic told the U.S. government in 2025 it expected “powerful AI” in late 2026 or early 2027; Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis said five to ten years in 2025; Ray Kurzweil has long predicted 2029; a 2023 survey of 2,778 researchers gave a 50% chance of human-level machine intelligence by 2047.
- What comes after AGI?
- Many researchers expect that a system able to do AI research itself could improve rapidly, a process called an intelligence explosion or recursive self-improvement, possibly leading to superintelligence. Others think progress will stay gradual and bounded by compute, data and energy.
- Why do predictions differ so much?
- People use different definitions of AGI and superintelligence, weigh benchmark gains differently, and disagree about whether scaling current methods is enough. Lab leaders also have commercial incentives, while academic surveys may lag fast-moving progress.
- Is SI the same as superintelligence?
- No. SI (Super Intelligence) is the U.S. government's new name for today's AI. Superintelligence means hypothetical beyond-human intelligence. This page is about the latter.
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