In a previous blog, we talked about what would happen if AI slowed down.

And as we are waiting to see what major changes AI titans might propose or start practising, other news starts occurring in the tech world. All of us on the user end -  mere mortals in every sense of the word- might need to adjust yet to another change.

This time, it won’t be all about what tools we use or how we use them. It will be about the way we talk about what we use.

When Artificial becomes Super(ior)

The U.S. government policy has officially rebranded Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Super Intelligence (SI).

From a spectator’s perspective, this could seem like a natural next step in a progressive process. The White House has issued a detailed document explaining the transition. As tools and “capabilities continue to improve, they increasingly represent not merely artificial intelligence, but a new era of Super Intelligence.”

Additionally, besides the official rebrand, the U.S. President has signed a voluntary Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities known as the White House Accord on Super Intelligence. This is a “morally binding” voluntary framework on AI and its development.  The pact is shared between the president and six major tech executives: Sundar Pichai (Google), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Greg Brockman (OpenAI), Elon Musk (xAI), and Jensen Huang (Nvidia).

Ok, now let's go back to the beginning. Super intelligence.

With all of these steps, AI (or SI?) - which we see as a tool- is starting to take a bigger physical space in the matters of socio-economics. Then again, if you are someone who’s into news, but not really into U.S. politics, or politics at all, this name change might seem unnecessary.

Was there a real need for a name change?

This name change comes at a peculiar time. In the past few weeks, the world of AI has been shaken by some serious confessions and announcements.

First, we had the shocking news of “AI labs racing each other to take the lead, while gambling with human lives”. A warning was published by a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher, Jacob Coxon. He shed light on the fact that some industry insiders believe that humans will lose control over the sphere if the speed of AI development continues at this rate.

​Following the unsettling news, Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei and his essay “We Must Pace the Frontier” proposed a slowdown of the progress. Amodei talks about how safety and alignment need to be aligned with the technology. If the technology development needs to slow down, he is willing to lessen the pace.

​Industry peers like Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Elon Musk were among the first ones to publicly agree with Amodei. Many followed quickly. The togetherness was surprising, but refreshing, in a strange way.

Is this just a political move or rescue PR?

Then comes the public image of AI on a grand scale. In the U.S., which is the country where all these changes are happening and news swarms around the clock, the general public is still on the fence.

​The majority is still weary of this technology and the way it can impact daily life. Many don’t agree with choices about development, implementation, and data centres. Some don’t like it because they don’t understand technological progress, and they are fine being that way.

​AI is still an undiscovered sphere for a lot of pupils on this Earth. We are humans, curious and always willing to explore, but some simply prefer to opt out of this.

​And then the choice of words. “Artificial” doesn’t leave the best first impression. It might allude to something fake, fabricated, not real… Which, regarding AI, is not completely untrue, but it’s not all negative, either. Two things can be true at the same time.

​So, in the wake of news such as recent developments, changing the name of something that reminds you of “fake” to something that is “super” because of its development progress can look good in someone's eyes. If “AI” has made mistakes before, “SI” is here to change that. A clean slate.

​We have laid out all the sides of the story. It’s okay if you don’t have the answer to the question right away. It’s important to understand. Staying in the dark leads to more panic and judgement, and as humans, we have more than enough of that.

​So… What now?

The scope of the AI rebrand is narrow. To begin with, it is only in one country. It is the country which is advancing rapidly in the industry, but still.

​The rename covers official correspondence, websites, reports and policy documents. Previously issued regulations, contracts and grants do not need to change.

​Human psychology takes time to accommodate new things, if it ever does. In terms of naming, old habits die hard. Oftentimes, the name is the last thing that comes to attention. The technology exists, you read about it, you use it, or you avoid it. No further discussion.

​The new name won’t magically bring a new attitude towards it. That’s like trying a magic trick on people who don’t bother to care about magic. Only time will tell whether regular users will adapt to this change.

​Time and patience… The two things that can be taken out of context with AI (SI).

What does this mean for us?

Being in the audience in front of a huge stage where these grand changes happen while we as individuals just observe can mean everything and nothing. People like us, who use AI in their daily work, don’t really pay attention to the naming; they pay attention to the detail. They want the job done, regardless of whether terms like “artificial” or “super” stand behind it.

​We are in a moving vehicle, humans at the steering wheel with AI on the passenger side. We are driving through the changes. Admittedly, together.

​Users make the utility difference, not really the difference in social appeal. You can be the biggest supporter of a tool out there, and someone will claim they believe in a better alternative.

We follow the news, we ask, we learn, we understand. If it is truly time for a bigger change, then we will probably receive some news on usage, a new tool, or a case to learn from… Not a term, which for most of the world will just represent an imprudent addition, anyway.

We live in exciting times, and we have to roll with the changes. If we, humble human beings, want to be a bigger part of these transformations, then we have a lot of work to do. And it’s probably a discussion for grander stages and other conversational partners.

One thing is definite: rebrands are never simple, or the easiest job there is.

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