The U.S. Justice Department told employees to replace “artificial intelligence” and “AI” with “super intelligence” and “SI” in most circumstances, including court filings when appropriate. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter issued the directive Tuesday. It covers public communications, policy documents and other official records, where employees should use the new terms “to the maximum extent permitted by law.”
Federal Policy and Control
The directive follows an executive order President Donald Trump issued last week, requiring the same terminology change across federal agencies. Trump said the wording would more accurately reflect the potential of rapidly advancing technology. The order sets the federal government’s language for agency communications and records, while the Justice Department memo explains how employees should apply it in their work.
The memo also addresses court filings, qualifying use of the terms with “when appropriate.” Employees should use “super intelligence” and “SI” to the maximum extent permitted by law. It doesn’t describe changes to the technology itself or set out new technical requirements.
Reuters reported that public perception of artificial intelligence has soured after hacking incidents raised safety questions. Trump has resisted new regulations for the technology, but he has said the Justice Department would rein it in if necessary. The terminology directive itself introduces no new regulatory measure, according to the reports.
The Administration’s New Force
The Hill reported that Trump selected four administration officials to lead a new “Super Intelligence Force,” or SIF, amid pressure over the technology’s risks and months of mixed messaging on White House AI policy. Jay Clayton, head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), will lead the group. Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson and Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), will serve as vice chairs.
The force will explore the technology’s benefits and risks and work to ensure America’s lead in the development race. Its members hold positions at federal agencies and offices, and its reported mandate focuses on government assessment of the technology and the United States’ position in its development. The Hill’s report identifies no public opposition or popular protest movement over the directive or the new group.
Private-Sector Competition
Reflection AI, an open-source startup backed by Nvidia, released its first open-weight model, Beam, on Monday. The company said the model rivals leading open technologies in the United States and China. In a blog post Monday, Reflection AI said Beam is on par with some leading open-source models made in China, including Chinese AI startup Z.ai’s GLM-5.2, and close to Alibaba’s Qwen3.8-Max.
The federal terminology order and the private-sector model release are separate developments in the reports. The administration says the SIF will assess benefits and risks while ensuring America’s lead; Reflection AI compares Beam with named open-source models from China. Neither report identifies a demographic effect or a transfer of authority from the United States to an international institution.
Reuters’ report was filed by Andrew Goudsward and edited by Andy Sullivan and David Gregorio. Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro wrote The Hill’s Technology newsletter.