ITHome On October 7, news reported that, according to a memo seen by Reuters, the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday local time instructed its internal staff that in nearly all contexts when referring to the technology (including court-related documents), they should use 'superintelligence' instead of the term 'artificial intelligence'.
Deputy Attorney General (acting) Trent McCotter issued the directive. A week earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to complete the wording replacement; Trump said the new term could more aptly reflect the potential of this rapidly developing technology.
The memo states that Justice Department employees, in external communications, policy documents and all other kinds of official records, should replace AI with 'superintelligence' and its abbreviation 'SI' 'to the maximum extent permitted by law'. The memo also notes that, where appropriate, the requirement likewise applies to litigation documents filed with courts.
After a series of hacking incidents, public perception of this intelligent technology has turned negative, and the incidents have also raised many questions about its security risks.
ITHome notes that Trump has long been disinclined to introduce new regulatory rules for the technology, but he has also stated that if truly necessary, the Justice Department will rein it in.