White House directs agencies to use Super Intelligence terminology
A 29 September executive order directs federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in official and other non-statutory documents, while leaving earlier regulations and historical documents unchanged. It defines the new terms by reference to an existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence for the order's implementation and directs the presidential science adviser to submit proposed federal-definition language within 60 days. The order changes federal terminology and policy; it does not report a technical change to any model.
The record ends here. Everything below this line is invented.
What if a model vanished from an archive when the government changed the word on its form?
Part one
The Alias Field
At 06:03, Mara replaced AI with SI in the coastal archive's search form. The results vanished. The old model had not changed; the index had.
Her sister Iona ran the community tide garden and needed the archive's old forecasts before the morning planting. The federal order told agencies to use a new term in current documents, but the old grant records and test logs stayed exactly as they were.
"Maybe it's been retired," Iona said over the phone.
Mara opened the registry's history. The same model identifier appeared in both columns. Its weights were unchanged; its forecast for today's tide was unchanged. Only the search field had stopped matching the old label.
She added an alias, and the missing years returned: a line of blue tide marks that matched Iona's notebook. The order also asked officials to propose a federal definition within sixty days. Mara's office had been told to prepare examples.
On the screen, Iona's small garden model had a new heading but no new powers. The registry asked Mara to classify it before the proposed federal definition was settled. She set one label beside the other. Downstairs, Iona answered the familiar approval chime, and the irrigation valve clicked open.
What’s real
- The order directs agencies to use Super Intelligence and SI.
- Earlier regulations and historical documents need not be altered.
- Proposed federal-definition language was due within 60 days.
What’s invented
- Mara, Iona, and the coastal archive are fictional.
- The registry's broken alias and tide garden are invented.
- The future definition process in the story is speculative.
Part two: A Definition by Use
Part two isn’t on sale yet. Check back soon.
Filed under technology, ai policy, governance, federal government.