Super Intelligence vs Artificial Intelligence, Explained

Two terms that used to be clearly different now overlap. In research, artificial intelligence is the technology we use every day, and superintelligence is a possible future AI far beyond human ability. But since September 2026, the US government also calls today’s AI “Super Intelligence”. Here is what each term means and how to tell them apart.

What is artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is the broad name for computer systems that do tasks we associate with human thinking: recognizing speech and images, translating languages, writing text, making predictions and recommendations. Chatbots, search ranking, spam filters and navigation apps all use AI.

The name itself comes from the proposal for the 1956 Dartmouth workshop, co-written by computer scientist John McCarthy. The workshop is widely seen as the founding event of AI as a field.

US law has a precise definition. It calls AI “a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments” (15 U.S.C. 9401). Every AI system in use today, from chatbots to recommendation engines, fits this description.

What is superintelligence?

Superintelligence is a hypothetical level of AI that would be far smarter than people. The philosopher Nick Bostrom, whose 2014 book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies made the idea widely known, defines it as “any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest”.

Two parts of that definition matter. “Greatly exceeds” means far better, not slightly better. “Virtually all domains” means across almost every kind of thinking: science, strategy, social skills, invention. A system that beats humans at one game or one test is not superintelligent in this sense.

No system has been shown to reach that level. Some companies say they are working toward it: Safe Superintelligence Inc. has the stated mission of developing superintelligence safely, and Meta Superintelligence Labs focuses on research toward it. For the full background, read our explainer What Is Superintelligence?

Where does AGI fit in?

Between today’s AI and superintelligence sits a third term: artificial general intelligence, or AGI. It describes AI that matches or surpasses humans across virtually all thinking tasks, instead of being good at only a few.

A simple way to picture the three:

1. Narrow AI (today): very good at specific tasks, such as recognizing faces or writing text.
2. AGI (hypothetical): roughly as capable as people across almost all thinking tasks.
3. Superintelligence, also called artificial superintelligence or ASI (hypothetical): far more capable than the best people in almost every field.

Experts disagree about whether AGI and superintelligence are possible, how close today’s systems are, and how fast one could lead to the other.

Why does the US government now say “super intelligence”?

On September 29, 2026, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence”. It tells federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in their documents, websites and public communications. Trump had announced the change a week earlier at the UN, saying the word “artificial” makes the technology sound fake. Read why Trump wants to rename AI “super intelligence”.

The order is clear about one thing: for now, “Super Intelligence” means exactly the technologies already covered by the legal definition of artificial intelligence. In other words, the government changed the name, not the technology. Within 60 days, the President’s science adviser is due to propose a new legal definition.

Super intelligence vs artificial intelligence at a glance

Term	What it means	Does it exist today?
Artificial intelligence (AI)	Computer systems that make predictions, recommendations or decisions	Yes
Narrow AI	AI built for specific tasks	Yes
Artificial general intelligence (AGI)	AI matching or surpassing humans across virtually all thinking tasks	No, and experts disagree on when
Superintelligence (ASI)	AI that greatly exceeds the best humans in virtually all fields	No
“Super Intelligence” (SI), US government	The official US executive-branch name for AI since September 2026	Yes: it is today’s AI under a new name

How to tell which meaning is meant

• Who is speaking? A US federal agency saying “Super Intelligence” or “SI” means ordinary AI. A researcher, philosopher or AI lab talking about “superintelligence” usually means the future, far more capable kind.
• Look at the spelling. Research usually writes one word, superintelligence. The executive order writes two words, “Super Intelligence”. This is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee: some companies and public figures use both.
• Ask whether it exists. If the text describes something already in use, such as chatbots or government software, it means AI. If it describes something that would outthink the best humans at almost everything, it means superintelligence in the research sense.

Why the difference matters

The overlap can cause real confusion. A headline saying “super intelligence is here” may only mean the new government label for today’s AI. A policy about “SI” may cover ordinary tools, not a future technology. And debates about the risks of superintelligence are about a far more powerful AI than anything the government’s new name describes.

Knowing which meaning is in use helps you read AI news, policy and research more accurately.