Technical Differences Between Artificial Intelligence and Superintelligence Concepts

Donald Trump's desire for the federal government to use a different name for artificial intelligence, arguing that the word 'artificial' feels fake and proposing the term 'superintelligence,' has brought the technical differences between the two concepts to the forefront.

Definition and Scope of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a broad term referring to computer systems designed to perform tasks associated with human intelligence, such as generating text, recognizing images, answering questions, and analyzing information.

This technology encompasses a wide variety of systems, ranging from narrow systems that recommend videos to generative AI tools capable of handling large-scale tasks.

Theoretical Meaning of Superintelligence

Superintelligence describes a hypothetical level of machine intelligence in academic and technological discussions where machines would vastly exceed human cognitive abilities in almost every field.

Discussed in philosopher Nick Bostrom's 2014 book, this definition refers to an intelligence that surpasses human performance across very broad domains rather than just beating humans at a specific task, and it remains a theoretical concept.

The Terminology Change Debate

Trump argues that the word artificial creates the impression that the technology is fake, putting forward the expression superintelligence as an alternative.

In a technical context, the word artificial does not represent that the technology is fake, but rather that the intelligence is produced by a machine instead of a biological brain.

Impact of Name Change on Technology

A change made solely in terminology does not directly alter what a system can actually do or the capacity it possesses.

To understand whether a system has truly reached the level of superintelligence, one must look at its actual capabilities and capacity rather than its label.