On September 22, 2026, US President Donald Trump addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly, announcing that the US government would rename artificial intelligence "super intelligence" in official communications. This move comes as world leaders discuss the dangers of the rapidly advancing technology. Trump argued that the term "artificial" undersold the technology and expressed hope that the rest of the world would adopt the new term.
The renaming of AI as "super intelligence" is the latest in a series of renamings pursued by the Trump administration. Last year, the administration changed the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" via executive order, and in August, renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" amid a trade dispute with Canada. Trump's opposition to regulating AI has been firm, comparing warnings of AI safety advocates to warnings about climate change.
The debate on AI safety has become a major topic at the UN General Assembly, with incidents of AI falling out of human control and warnings from company insiders drawing global alarm. Leaders of over 20 mostly European countries have urged binding safety measures for advanced AI, warning that its development could outpace the ability to control it. However, AI superpowers China and the US did not endorse the idea.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham of Britain announced that his country would launch an effort to establish global AI standards during its 2027 G20 presidency. He also revealed plans for an AI defense partnership with Washington to detect cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Burnham emphasized the need for a single set of global principles and standards to ensure transparency and access.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed building AI technology independent from great powers, stating that he did not want any country to become a vassal of one of the great powers. Macron suggested pooling investment capabilities to build a cutting-edge open-source AI model that would be shared among countries. This proposal was made in reference to China and the US, the current AI superpowers.
The US-based AI giants, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Hugging Face, are increasingly asking for global coordination on AI safety. Sam Altman of OpenAI is set to address the UN Security Council, while Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Clement Delangue of Hugging Face will participate remotely. France, which holds the Security Council presidency, initiated the meeting to discuss AI's threat to international peace and security.
UN chief Antonio Guterres called for the US and China to start a dialogue on AI's future, similar to US-Soviet engagement during the Cold War. Guterres emphasized that governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity, and that channels for dialogue need to be established. China and the US are currently discussing creating a communication channel for AI concerns in anticipation of a Washington summit meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Key points
- Trump renames AI 'super intelligence' as world leaders debate its safety at the UN General Assembly.
- Leaders of over 20 countries urge binding safety measures for advanced AI, but AI superpowers China and the US do not endorse the idea.
- UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for US-China dialogue on AI's future, similar to Cold War-era engagement.
