A ‘super’ rebrand: Navy mandates dropping ‘artificial intelligence’
Artificial intelligence, or AI, might one day destroy the human race. But if that happens, the technology will no longer be called "artificial." Instead, it will be called "super."
At least, that is the new name being used in the United States, where many things are being renamed. These changes include renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, calling Lake Ontario Lake America, and even a push to rename New Mexico as New America.
On Sept. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the term "artificial intelligence" would be replaced with "super intelligence."
The executive order explained that as these technologies become more powerful, they are no longer simply artificial intelligence. Instead, they represent the beginning of what the order calls a new age of "Super Intelligence."
Trump followed this announcement about "SI," short for "Super Intelligence," with an Oct. 8 post on Truth Social. In the post, he said that anyone who continued using the old name would be called "THE ENEMY!"
This week, the U.S. Navy became one of the first military services to follow the new naming rule and avoid being given that label. A Navy memo ordered every level of the Navy, including its commands, offices, activities, and personnel, to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI."
The memo said the new rule takes effect immediately. It applies to all official Navy communications and documents, including letters from senior officers, operational orders known as OPORDs, military exercise documents, training materials, fleet notices, public announcements, official websites, strategic reports, reports to Congress, and internal and external policy documents that are not required by law.
As part of the name change, echelon II commanders, who lead major Navy organizations, along with commanders responsible for different types of Navy forces and systems, must check all public announcements, internal websites, and presentations shared outside the Navy. They must make sure these materials follow the new rule within 30 days of the memo's release. After finishing these checks, they must submit a report confirming that the work is complete.
The Navy message also said that documents and contracts published before the new rule do not need to be changed. Existing laws must still be referred to using their official wording until Congress passes changes to those laws.
Military Times asked the Navy what might happen to someone who continued using the term "artificial intelligence." The Navy had not answered that question by the time the article was published.