Overview
- A Justice Department memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter tells staff to use the terms “super intelligence” and “SI” in public communications, policy documents and, when allowed, in court filings.
- The directive applies “to the maximum extent permitted by law” and follows President Trump’s Sept. 29 executive order that required federal agencies to adopt the new terminology.
- The administration says the change responds to recent model failures and agent-style breaches that raised safety concerns and public unease about the technology.
- States and civil‑justice observers have pushed back, and legal experts say the order raises questions about whether agencies can mandate terminology or force language changes in judicial filings.
- The shift could complicate litigation records and public discussion, may invite court challenges, and comes as regulators including the FTC are reported to be preparing probes of AI labs.