The plain-English guide to superintelligence
What it means, who's building it, and what it means for the UK: for households, for business, and for anyone trying to keep up.
Two meanings, one word. Since September 2026 the US administration has used "Super Intelligence" as its name for artificial intelligence in general. In AI research, superintelligence has long meant something narrower: an AI that outperforms the best human minds at nearly every task that matters, and which does not exist yet. This site covers both, and keeps them apart. Start with the difference.
The Frontier supercomputer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Photo: OLCF at ORNL, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
Why Trump wants to rename AI "Super Intelligence": a dated timeline
What was said, when, on which platform, and what has actually changed. Kept as a neutral record and updated as the story develops.
Updated monthly · last reviewed 23 September 2026Explore the guide
- The core guideWhat superintelligence is, how it differs from AI and AGI, the timelines and safety debates, who is building it, and a glossary.
- The UK angleHow AI is regulated, what the AI Security Institute does, what the government is actually delivering, and whether Britain could build AGI.
- The rename sagaA neutral, dated record of the move to rename artificial intelligence "Super Intelligence".
- For businessA plain-English briefing for UK businesses: what is real now, where it streamlines work, sector guides and a readiness checklist.
- For householdsFor families, older people and anyone at home: new tech that actually helps, scams and safety, money and consumer rights.
- Weekly digestFive to seven things worth knowing each week, with an item for business, one for home and one on living with SI.
The three terms, in order of capability
- AI
- Software that does tasks we associate with intelligence. It exists, and has for decades.
- AGI
- Roughly any intellectual task a person can do. Whether today's systems are close is disputed.
- Superintelligence
- Greatly exceeds the best human minds in virtually all domains. Hypothetical; does not exist.
Read the explainer. Then: What is AGI? · AGI vs superintelligence · Who is building it? · When could it happen?
Recently reviewed
AGI vs superintelligence: what's the difference?
The two upper rungs of the AI ladder, told apart in plain English, and why September 2026 made the words harder to use.
The core guide · reviewed 23 September 2026
Superintelligence glossary: the words you will meet, in plain English
Short, accurate definitions of the terms used in discussions of AI, AGI and superintelligence, from alignment to context window, with the jargon kept to a minimum.
The core guide · reviewed 23 September 2026
When could superintelligence happen?
What forecasters actually say about the arrival of AGI and superintelligence, why they disagree, and why the US administration's "Super Intelligence" label is not a forecast at all.
The core guide · reviewed 23 September 2026What is AGI?
Artificial general intelligence, in plain English: what the term means, how it differs from today's AI and from superintelligence, and why the US administration's "Super Intelligence" is neither.
The core guide · reviewed 23 September 2026Who is building superintelligence?
Which organisations say they are aiming at AGI or superintelligence, what each has said in its own words, and why the US administration's "Super Intelligence" label covers a much wider field.
The core guide · reviewed 23 September 2026
What is the UK AI Security Institute?
What the AI Security Institute is, what it tests, who it answers to since July 2026, and what it cannot do: it is not a regulator and has no statutory powers.
The UK angle · reviewed 23 September 2026
How this site works
Every page has a named author and a "last reviewed" date. Every factual claim about a person, company or policy links to a primary source. Nothing is published unread by a human. Sponsored pages are labelled, and sponsors never get a say in what a page says. Read the editorial policy.