The White House launches SI.gov as part of its push to rebrand artificial intelligence as super intelligence across the government
The Super Intelligence era is here. 馃嚭馃嚫
Context
The rebrand shows how central the White House wants super intelligence to be in policy messaging, and SI.gov becomes the official hub for its AI initiatives.
Michael Kratsios is the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, so his post is first hand. The change follows a September 29 executive order, published in the Federal Register as Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, that directs agencies to use SI terminology. The order defines SI using the existing federal definition of AI, so the change is in naming rather than legal scope.
Deep dive
On October 13, Michael Kratsios posted: The Super Intelligence era is here, with a link to SI.gov.
According to Business Insider and The Verge, SI.gov is the new address for the federal government's AI policy website. It brings together the administration's super intelligence initiatives, including the Genesis Mission, the American SI Stack and related executive orders.
The launch follows the September 29 executive order directing executive branch agencies to use the term super intelligence, or SI, in place of artificial intelligence, according to the Federal Register and The Verge. The Verge reported that the order defines SI using the existing federal definition of AI.
The new language is showing up across the government. A Justice Department release the same day about an arrest at OpenAI referred to the global super intelligence race and to a Super Intelligence Force, and Melania Trump's student AI contest now carries the superintelligence name, as covered in stories 37 and 38.
Many researchers use super intelligence to mean AI far beyond human ability, so applying the term to today's systems has drawn skepticism, though the order itself does not claim such systems exist.
What to expect next
Watch whether agencies and Congress adopt the SI terminology in laws, budgets and contracts, and whether the change has any legal effect beyond naming.
Also watch what new programs appear on SI.gov, since the administration is using the site as the central home for its AI policy initiatives. Reactions from researchers and industry will also show whether the new branding changes how AI policy is discussed outside the government.