US Justice Department reportedly tells staff to use 'super intelligence' instead of 'AI' in communications

The US Justice Department has reportedly directed staff to replace the term "AI" with "super intelligence" across official correspondence and legal filings, according to a report citing department leadership.

The change is described as an effort to align the department's language with a directive from the White House. The report did not specify the full scope of documents affected or a timeline for full implementation across the department.

Terminology shift

Government agencies periodically update preferred terminology in official communications to reflect shifting policy priorities or messaging from the executive branch. Such directives can affect internal memos, public statements and formal legal documents alike.

It was not immediately clear from the report whether the change reflects a broader substantive shift in how the department approaches artificial intelligence policy or regulation, or whether it is primarily a matter of language and framing in official documents.

Neither the Justice Department nor the White House was quoted directly confirming the specifics of the directive in the report. Government communications offices have not issued a public statement detailing the rationale for the terminology change at the time of this report.

The use of the term "artificial intelligence" remains standard across most of the federal government, as well as in the technology industry and academic research, and it was not clear whether other agencies would be expected to adopt similar language.