Newsom orders California agencies to keep the term 'Artificial Intelligence'
California's state agencies will carry on using the labels "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" under an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, a step that directly counters the federal government's switch to different wording.
The governor disclosed the action in a post on X on Thursday, writing that he had "permanently" given the technology that name in his state. "I just signed an executive order permanently declaring Artificial Intelligence 'Artificial Intelligence' in California. You're welcome, America," he wrote.
Dated September 30, 2024, the directive covers every California agency and department that answers to the governor. It tells them to use the names artificial intelligence and AI, "notwithstanding any rebranded or different terminology used by the federal government, unless inconsistent with the law."
That instruction reads as a wry answer to President Donald Trump's decision to replace "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" with "Super Intelligence" and "SI" across US federal government communications.
Trump made the announcement in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, explaining that the word "artificial" gave the impression that intelligence was not genuine.
"The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much now, hereinafter officially called Super Intelligence, changing the name," he said.
He further stated that official US documents would from then on carry the term "Super Intelligence", with "SI" serving as the abbreviation.
In the California order, Newsom questioned what value a change of wording actually carries, writing that "purporting to change something's name cannot distract a person of normal intelligence from recognising" the failure to confront the emerging safety and security dangers he said the technology presents.
The order itself says: "All agencies and departments subject to my authority shall refer to Artificial Intelligence and AI as 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI,' notwithstanding any rebranded or different terminology used by the federal government, unless inconsistent with the law."
Newsom additionally pointed to California's standing in the field, saying the state "dominates Artificial Intelligence innovation" even as it pursues steps intended to reinforce AI safety, security and consumer privacy.
His action lands in the middle of a widening argument over how the technology ought to be governed and how far governments should go in balancing innovation against safety and oversight.
Before Trump settled on the new name, he ran a social media poll inviting his followers to pick between options that included "Superior Intelligence", "Extreme Intelligence" and "Supreme Intelligence". He went with "Super Intelligence".
Since then, his administration has taken steps to give the change formal effect, with reports indicating that an executive order instructs federal agencies to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in their official communications.
Newsom's directive, by contrast, leaves no doubt that state agencies under his authority will keep to the established terms, producing a clear terminology divide between Washington and California.
to like, bookmark, and comment.
Comments
Join the conversation:
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.