NBC News reports that the Trump administration has ordered the Justice Department to officially transition to referring to artificial intelligence as “super intelligence,” the new branding Trump imposed upon the technology in an executive order that misspelled “United States.”
Hm… AI probably could’ve caught that.
The new term was apparently concocted to allow Trump to deflect from the growing unease around the technology. On the day of the announcement, when reporters asked Trump about liability for mounting stories about AI agents autonomously hacking other entities, the president waved off the question, explaining that it’s now called SI. He did not address what happens when “SI” agents start hacking.
The DOJ report isn’t particularly surprising. The executive order imposed the name change on all federal agencies and the Justice Department would logically fall under that umbrella. Still, the specific entreaty to DOJ employees suggests the administration is eager to see if this linguistic switcheroo can change the public mood around AI.
One would think Trump’s political instincts would smell the blood in the water and turn his rhetoric against the AI industry. But Trump sees AI as a potential cash cow for himself personally, preferring to milk the industry for personal gain even if it drags down his political prospects.
Bloomberg Law News reviewed the memo to DOJ staff:
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, referencing Trump’s Sept. 29 executive order directing federal agencies to adopt this terminology, relayed the instructions to DOJ employees Tuesday in a memo reviewed by Bloomberg Law.
In addition to citing the Trump order’s requirement that Super Intelligence be used “to the maximum extent permitted by law” in their government duties, McCotter said the policy extends to attorney filings in court.
This will, of course, create an unnecessary hassle for lawyers and judges as the government begins polluting the record with “SI” when everyone else — and, importantly, all the evidence — refers to “AI.” Most lawyers will, presumably, stick with reality as the government indulges its mad king. But not all lawyers.
Welcome to the next test of spinelessness. We’ve already had the Biglaw surrender deals and the cowardly website edits. Now we get to sit back and see which law firms and tech vendors decide to talk about “superintelligence” in anything but the most deeply sarcastic tones.
“Consensual” seems to be doing the heavy lifting for at least one key figure in this executive order.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.
