Trump Demands 'Superintelligence' Wording in IMF Statement

The United States has demanded that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) joint statement use the term 'superintelligence (SI)' instead of 'artificial intelligence (AI).' Superintelligence refers to a future form of artificial intelligence with intelligence surpassing that of humans. The movement led by U.S. President Donald Trump to change the name for artificial intelligence technology is spreading beyond the United States to the international community.

Reactions in the meeting room were mixed. Some member states appeared flustered, while the U.S. side signaled it would press for the new term. A compromise that dropped both terms in favor of simply 'new technology' was also floated. At a forum with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the 16th, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said, "You pronounce it AI, but in America we now pronounce it SI." If no agreement is reached, it is reported that instead of a joint statement signed by all member states, a 'chair's statement' summarizing each country's views will be issued.

The renaming drive began at last month's United Nations General Assembly. In his keynote speech on September 22, President Trump said that "the word 'artificial' makes intelligence sound fake," announcing that U.S. government documents would replace artificial intelligence with superintelligence. On the 29th of that month, he signed an executive order requiring the federal government to use the name superintelligence in official documents and communications, and the same day signed a 'Superintelligence Safety Accord' with the chief executives of six big tech companies. On the 4th of this month, a dedicated team called the 'Superintelligence Force (SIF)' was formed under Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, and on the 8th, President Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that "anyone who uses the term 'artificial intelligence' is considered an 'enemy' by the White House." He did not specify what penalties would apply.

The problem is that superintelligence is already a technical term used to mean something else. While artificial intelligence broadly refers to technology that substitutes for human intellectual activity, what the scientific community calls superintelligence (ASI) means an AI that surpasses human intellectual abilities in virtually every respect. The prevailing view is that technology at that level does not yet exist in reality. President Trump has not clarified whether the superintelligence he refers to encompasses all of today's AI or only the most advanced technology.