The Super Intelligence Observatory tracks the documented use and adoption of the terms “Super Intelligence”, “superintelligence” and “SI” by governments, international institutions, technology companies and major media organisations.
It distinguishes public statements, media coverage, documented institutional use and formal terminology policies. A mention is not presented as an official adoption unless the available evidence supports that conclusion.
How adoption is classified
Each entry is assigned one of five levels, according to the strongest evidence available for that entry — not according to how widely it was reported.
| Level | Classification | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 · Public mention | The term is used publicly, with no demonstrated institutional consequence. |
| 2 | 2 · Media coverage | The term is taken up as a subject by a recognised media organisation. |
| 3 | 3 · Documented use | The term is used in an institutional speech, document or debate. |
| 4 | 4 · Formal instruction | A documented instruction requires or recommends the terminology within a defined scope. |
| 5 | 5 · Broad official adoption | The terminology is officially adopted across a whole government or institution. |
As of 24 September 2026, no evidence supports a claim of worldwide adoption, or of a universal replacement of the term “artificial intelligence”.
Verified timeline
Every entry links to its sources. Where several organisations reported the same development, they are grouped rather than counted separately.
| Date | Country or organisation | Category | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the United States Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump says United States government documents will henceforth use “super intelligence” rather than “artificial intelligence”. Note The presidential statement alone does not yet prove implementation across the federal government. Sources
| Government | 1 · Public mention | Political statement | |
| US Department of State — Bureau of International Organization Affairs After the President’s address, an internal email asks staff of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs to replace references to “Artificial Intelligence” with “Super Intelligence” and to use the abbreviation “SI” in remarks, positions and press materials. Note The documented instruction concerns this State Department bureau. At the time of publication, it had not been established that other bureaus or federal agencies had received the same instruction. Sources
| Government / diplomacy | 4 · Formal instruction | Documented adoption within a defined scope | |
| UN Security Council — 10228th meeting During a Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence and international security, the United States delegation repeatedly refers to “superintelligence”. According to the automatic transcript, Colombia’s Permanent Representative also used the term. Note Use during an official debate does not mean that the United Nations has adopted the term as institutional terminology. UN Transcripts are generated automatically and are not official UN documents; the UN’s official meeting summary (in French) reports the United States’ use of the term. Sources | International institution | 3 · Documented use | Term used during an official debate | |
| United Nations — Meetings Coverage and Press Releases The UN’s French-language coverage of the opening of the General Debate carries the subheading “Intelligence artificielle ou « super-intelligence » ?” (AG/12785). Its coverage of the Security Council meeting quotes the United States rejecting any global plan to control “super-intelligence” (CS/16462). Note This is editorial coverage of the debates, not a change to United Nations nomenclature. Sources
| International institution / institutional media | 2 · Media coverage | Term carried in the official summaries | |
| Trinidad and Tobago — Prime Minister, UN General Assembly According to the UN summary of her General Debate address, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said that Trinidad and Tobago, as a Security Council member for 2027–2028, would encourage greater consideration of the implications of “super intelligence” for international peace and security. Note This is a documented international use of the term, not a general terminology policy of the government concerned. Sources | Government | 3 · Documented use | International reference | |
| Reuters, Associated Press, Axios, PBS NewsHour, Euronews Major international news organisations reported the announcement and its first diplomatic consequences within 24 hours. They are grouped here as a single entry so as not to inflate the data. Note Media coverage shows visibility, not adoption. Sources
| Media | 2 · Media coverage | Rapid international coverage |
What the evidence shows
- The term gained strong international visibility from 22 September 2026, when it was used at the rostrum of the UN General Assembly.
- A first US administrative instruction is documented, limited to one bureau of the State Department.
- Institutional and diplomatic uses appeared within a day, including during a UN Security Council debate.
- Several major news organisations immediately picked up the expression.
- The established term “artificial intelligence” remains by far the dominant usage.
- No universal adoption has been demonstrated.
- The trend needs to be followed over time.
What would constitute broader adoption?
The following would be significant signs of broader adoption:
- an executive order or directive applying to several agencies;
- lasting changes to government websites;
- recurring use in official documents;
- adoption by other governments;
- explicit adoption by international organisations;
- a change of terminology by major technology companies;
- sustained use by the media and the public.
How entries are verified
- Each entry links to at least one primary source or recognised news organisation, checked on the date shown as “last verified”.
- Automatically generated transcripts are identified as such and are never the only basis for an entry’s level.
- When several outlets report the same development, they are grouped into one entry so that counts are not inflated.
- To report an error or propose a documented source, write to contact@saryntrade.com.
From artificial intelligence to Super Intelligence: what changed