The roots of AI fear are cultural, not technological

Columnist Annalee Newitz stated that public perception of artificial intelligence differs significantly between the US and China, addressing the cultural, religious, and science fiction elements that guide our impressions of this technology's power. President Donald Trump's remarks regarding the renaming of the term artificial intelligence also stood at the center of these discussions.

According to columnist Annalee Newitz's assessments, popular understandings of artificial intelligence diverge significantly between the US and China. Newitz examines the cultural, religious, and science fiction factors behind our impressions regarding the power of this technology.

Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order stating that artificial intelligence would no longer be referred to as "artificial," and that the word "super" would be used instead. In his message on the Truth Social platform, Trump stated that those who do not use the term "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence" would be considered "enemies" by his administration.

The concept of "super intelligence" was popularized in philosopher Nick Bostrom's book of the same name. Bostrom had predicted that this construct would evolve alongside a class of humans much smarter than their peers.