FAQ ยท straight answers, with sources
Does renaming AI change anything? The sceptic's FAQ
Short, sourced answers for anyone who suspects the rename is mostly branding.
Does renaming AI change anything?
Not the technology. The executive order applies the existing legal definition of AI to SI. It changes the words US federal agencies use.
Is it compulsory to say SI?
Only for the US executive branch, to the extent the law allows. Nobody else is required to.
Do the public like the new name?
We haven't seen a representative poll on the name itself. The Truth Social poll that chose it was open to the President's followers, not a representative sample. On AI more broadly, Quinnipiac found 25% of US voters approve and 58% disapprove of the President's handling of it.
Isn't 'artificial' a bad word anyway?
It's a fair point that "artificial" can sound fake. But the word has been the standard term since the 1950s, it's in laws worldwide, and "super" brings its own problem: it already meant something else.
Has anyone big switched?
US federal agencies, and companies linked to Elon Musk, including SpaceX and Tesla's AI account. California and Japan's government have said they're keeping AI. See the tracker on isitaiorsi.com.
Will SI stick?
Nobody knows. It depends on whether companies and the public adopt it. For now, AI is still the term most people use.
Is this site against the government?
No. We think AI is the clearer word for most writing, and we explain why. We also set out the case for SI as fairly as we can.
Sources
- Xenospectrum: what the SI order actually defines
- Newsweek: the accord's spelling mistake and the Truth Social poll
- CGTN (AFP): experts doubt the rebrand will stick
- The National: California will not follow the order
- Kumanichi (Kyodo): Japan's prime minister on the AI name
- Drive Tesla Canada: TeslaAI becomes Tesla Super Intelligence on X
- Fast Company: Musk rebrands SpaceXAI as SpaceXSI