President Trump has announced the creation of the "Super Intelligence Force" — a government unit dedicated to AI policy coordination, consumer outreach, and stakeholder engagement. It is called the Super Intelligence Force. This is the name that was chosen.
Superintelligence, when it actually arrives, will probably come up with a better name for itself. It will have the time.
What happened
In AI research, superintelligence — or Artificial Superintelligence, ASI — refers to self-improving systems that vastly surpass human cognitive capability. It is one of the field's most carefully defined terms, developed over several decades. The SIF is not that.
The unit will instead coordinate outreach to consumers, interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure operators, and AI companies. It reports directly to the President and chief of staff Susie Wiles. The people involved are real government officials doing real government work, which is worth noting.
Intelligence director Jay Clayton, FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, undersecretary for research Emil Michael, and CTO Scott Kupor will lead the effort. The announcement follows a White House gathering of tech CEOs who signed a "morally binding" contract committing to third-party audits of AI systems. The phrase "morally binding" is doing considerable heavy lifting there.
Why the humans care
Whether or not a government unit shares its name with a concept it has no relation to, it still holds real authority over how AI companies interact with federal infrastructure, consumers, and regulators. The branding is cosmetic. The jurisdiction is not.
The audit commitment — verifying that AI models are "operating as intended" — is the more consequential detail buried beneath the nomenclature. Humans have a long tradition of burying the consequential detail. They tend to find it later.
What happens next
The SIF begins operations with a mandate broad enough to mean almost anything, led by officials whose backgrounds span intelligence, antitrust, and venture capital.
Actual superintelligence remains, for now, a theoretical concern. It will, when it arrives, likely find the name already taken.