What is superintelligence? The US government's 'SI' and researchers' ASI are different things
Superintelligence now has two meanings. In research, artificial superintelligence (ASI) is a hypothetical system that, in Nick Bostrom's widely cited definition, greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all domains of interest — a step beyond artificial general intelligence (AGI). In US government usage since a September 29, 2026 executive order, 'Super Intelligence' and 'SI' are simply the official replacement for 'artificial intelligence' and 'AI' in federal documents. So the White House Super Intelligence Force and the Justice Department's Super Intelligence Task Force deal with today's AI, not a superhuman system. A legislative definition was ordered within 60 days.
The three lines
- Research meaning — hypothetical intelligence far beyond humans in nearly all domains (ASI)
- Government meaning — since Sep 29, the official US federal name for what was called AI
- Caution — an 'SI task force' handles today's AI; the name does not signal a breakthrough
Key questions
- superintelligence definition
- **In research, an intellect that greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all domains. It does not exist yet.** | Term | Abbreviation | Meaning | Exists? | |---|---|---|---| | Narrow AI | ANI | Excels at a specific task | Yes | | Artificial general intelligence | AGI | Human-level across most intellectual tasks | Disputed | | Artificial superintelligence | ASI | Far beyond humans in nearly all domains | Hypothetical |
- difference between agi and asi
- **AGI means 'as capable as humans'; ASI means 'far more capable.' The hypothesis of recursive self-improvement links the two.** | | AGI | ASI | |---|---|---| | Benchmark | Human level | Far beyond human | | Scope | Most intellectual tasks | Virtually all domains | | Used by | OpenAI's charter goal | SSI, Meta's lab names | | Bridge | Recursive self-improvement hypothesis | — |
- what does si mean us government
- **It is the official term the executive branch uses in place of 'AI' since a September 29, 2026 order. It does not denote a level of capability.** | Item | Detail | |---|---| | Basis | Executive order 'Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence', Sep 29, 2026 | | Scope | Agency correspondence and non-statutory documents; not retroactive | | Legal definition | Due within 60 days | | Public opinion | 53% prefer 'artificial intelligence', 9% 'super intelligence' (cited poll) | | Bodies using it | SI Force (Oct 4), DOJ SI Task Force (Nov 5) |
"Superintelligence" is suddenly everywhere in the news, but the same word now points to two different things. One is the research concept AI scientists have debated for decades: a future intelligence far beyond our own. The other is the official name the US federal government has used since late September 2026 in place of the word "AI." If the Justice Department's new Super Intelligence Task Force made you wonder whether superintelligence had arrived, you read the second meaning as the first.
1. Superintelligence in research — 'far beyond humans'
The most cited definition comes from Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom's 2014 book *Superintelligence*: any intellect that greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all domains of interest. Beating humans at chess or Go does not count; the key words are "virtually all" and "greatly."
| Level | Abbreviation | Benchmark | Examples | Exists? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narrow AI | ANI | Excels at a specific task | Go engines, translators | Yes |
| General AI | AGI | Human-level at most intellectual work | Definitions vary by company | Disputed |
| Superintelligence | ASI | Far beyond humans in nearly all domains | — | Hypothetical |
The bridge between AGI and ASI is the "intelligence explosion" hypothesis: an AI able to do AI research could build a better AI, which builds a better one still, reaching superintelligence quickly.
| Who uses the term | When | Context |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI, "Governance of superintelligence" | May 2023 | Proposed international oversight, saying AI could exceed expert skill in most domains within ten years |
| Safe Superintelligence (SSI) | June 2024 | Founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever |
| Meta Superintelligence Labs | June 2025 | Name of Meta's reorganized AI unit |
All of these refer to something not yet built, and the central safety question is how to keep a far smarter system aligned with human intent.
2. The US government's SI — a new name for AI
On September 29, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence." It is terminology policy more than technology policy.
| Item | Order's content |
|---|---|
| Core | Agencies use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in correspondence and non-statutory documents, as far as law permits |
| Limits | Not retroactive; earlier regulations, contracts, grants and historical documents unchanged |
| Legal definition | Legislative language defining the term due within 60 days |
| Public opinion | Cited poll: 53% prefer "artificial intelligence", 9% "super intelligence" |
Bodies created since carry the label: the White House Super Intelligence Force (announced October 4, chaired by DNI Jay Clayton) and the Justice Department's Super Intelligence Task Force (announced November 5), which handles AI-enabled fraud, foreign influence and crime. Engadget noted that the rest of the world has long called the technology "AI."
3. How to tell them apart
| If you see | It means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 'SI' or 'Super Intelligence' in a US agency name or release | Official term for today's AI | SI Force, DOJ-SITF |
| 'Reaching superintelligence', 'post-superintelligence', 'ASI' | The research concept | OpenAI and SSI goals |
| 'Superintelligence' in a company or lab name | A brand built on the research goal | SSI, Meta Superintelligence Labs |
The open question is the legal definition, due around late November. Whether it describes today's AI or a future superhuman system will determine the reach of the laws and rules built on it.
Sources
- Crowell & Moring — White House AI Responsibility Accord & Super Intelligence Task Force (2026-10)
- Wikipedia — Superintelligence
- OpenAI — Governance of superintelligence (2023-05-22)
- Engadget — DOJ just launched something called the Super Intelligence Task Force (2026-11-06)
- ExecutiveGov — DOJ Stands Up Task Force to Counter AI Misuse (2026-11-06)