US President Donald Trump has announced that the US government will rename artificial intelligence "super intelligence" in official communications. This move comes as world leaders discuss how to address the dangers of the rapidly advancing technology at the UN General Assembly. Trump stated that the term "artificial" undersells the technology and expressed hope that the rest of the world will adopt the new term. He argued that "super intelligence" sounds better and is more accurate.
The rebranding is part of a series of renamings pursued by the Trump administration. Last year, the Gulf of Mexico was changed to the "Gulf of America" via executive order, and in August, Lake Ontario was renamed "Lake America" amid a trade dispute with Canada. Trump's opposition to regulating AI has been firm, and he compared warnings of AI safety advocates to warnings about climate change. He stated that the US rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control AI.
The UN General Assembly has seen leaders of over 20 mostly European countries urging binding safety measures for advanced AI. They warned that the technology's development could outpace the ability to control it. However, AI superpowers China and the US did not endorse the idea. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that Britain will launch an effort to establish global AI standards during its 2027 G20 presidency. He also revealed an AI defense partnership with Washington to detect cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed building AI technology independent from great powers. He stated that he doesn't want anyone to become a vassal of one of the great powers, apparently referring to China and the US. Macron suggested pooling investment capabilities to build a cutting-edge open-source AI model that can be shared. This proposal comes as the US-based AI giants are increasingly asking for global coordination on AI safety.
The US and China are currently discussing creating a communication channel for AI concerns in anticipation of a Washington summit meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. UN chief Antonio Guterres called for the US and China to start a dialogue on the technology's future. He likened it to US-Soviet engagement at the height of the Cold War, emphasizing that governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity.
The AI giants, including OpenAI's Sam Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, and Hugging Face's Clement Delangue, will participate in a UN Security Council meeting to address AI safety concerns. France, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, initiated the meeting. They believe AI's threat to international peace and security has not been sufficiently discussed at the UN.
The debate on AI safety and regulation continues as the technology advances rapidly. Trump's rebranding of AI as "super intelligence" has sparked mixed reactions. While some see it as a way to emphasize the technology's potential, others are concerned about the lack of regulation and oversight. As the world continues to grapple with the implications of AI, global coordination and dialogue will be crucial in ensuring its safe development.
Key points
- US President Donald Trump has ordered the US government to rename artificial intelligence "super intelligence" in official communications.
- The UN General Assembly has seen leaders urging binding safety measures for advanced AI, but AI superpowers China and the US have not endorsed the idea.
- The US and China are discussing creating a communication channel for AI concerns in anticipation of a Washington summit meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
