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Justice Department Super Intelligence terminology memo debate Developing

Justice Department applies Super Intelligence label to court filings

Department guidance carries the White House's AI terminology order into Justice Department records and appropriate court filings.

Why now NBC News reported the department memo on October 6 at 18:19 UTC, and Reuters separately reviewed it later that day.

An agency instruction reaches litigation

The US Justice Department has told employees to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in most official settings, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters. The instruction from acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter covers public communications, policy documents and other records to the maximum extent permitted by law. Reuters reported that it also applies to court filings when appropriate. NBC News separately reported the memo, citing four people familiar with the matter and the same provision on filings. The memo itself was not publicly available in the reviewed sources, so its scope is described through those reports.

Implementation of an earlier order

This is a Justice Department implementation of President Donald Trump’s September 29 executive order promoting the terminology across federal agencies, rather than a new order renaming the technology. The earlier White House document did not require rewriting historical records or existing regulations. The reported department memo shows how one agency intends to apply the label in its current work, including litigation where appropriate. Neither the wording change nor the memo is evidence that present AI systems have reached superhuman intelligence. The reviewed reports do not establish how often department lawyers will use the new term in actual filings or whether courts will accept it without clarification.