Changing the official vocabulary is easier than changing what people call things. Sam Altman expects “artificial intelligence” to remain in everyday use for years, even as “superintelligence” gains ground, and says OpenAI will not rename itself OpenSI.
A new term, an old habit
Altman said “superintelligence” describes the capabilities of today’s AI systems more accurately. But a more precise label is not necessarily a more popular one, and he does not expect the public to drop the familiar term soon.
Nor, in his view, would the new wording make the technology less frightening. The name may change. The feelings attached to it are less easily rebranded.
OpenAI is not planning a switch to OpenSI. Altman pointed to the difficulty of changing established brands, while Elon Musk has announced that SpaceXAI will become SpaceXSI.
Government terminology moves ahead
The debate is also reaching US policy. Donald Trump signed an executive order last week calling for the federal government to use “superintelligence” instead of “artificial intelligence.” Leaders of major US AI companies also signed an agreement covering measures to control the technology.
Those developments put the term into official and corporate use, but they do not settle what people will say in ordinary conversation. For now, OpenAI is betting that familiar language has more staying power than a cleaner acronym.