Treasury pushes IMF to adopt ‘super intelligence’ wording
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- 2 of 5
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- 16 October 2026
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Key facts
- Who: Erin Browne, Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs, in a Reuters interview (datelined Bangkok, Oct 15)
- Context: Trump directed US agencies in September to say ‘super intelligence’ instead of ‘artificial intelligence’; the US holds the rotating G20 presidency
- Browne: ‘We see this as a driving force behind American growth and global growth’
- Fallbacks reported by Reuters’ sources: omit both ‘SI’ and ‘AI’ and refer to ‘new technology’; or, if the US withholds consensus, IMFC chair Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al Jadaan issues a chair’s statement summarising members’ views
- The IMFC was due to hold its news conference and release any agreed statement on Saturday, Oct 17, 2026
What happened
The US Treasury asked other members of the International Monetary and Financial Committee to replace “artificial intelligence” with “super intelligence” in the committee’s communiqué. Under Secretary Erin Browne told Reuters the talks were ongoing and that Washington wanted the change to take hold internationally, following Trump’s September instruction to US agencies. Reuters’ sources said the request raised eyebrows among other members. Options under discussion included leaving out both terms in favour of “new technology”, or a chair’s statement by Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al Jadaan if the US blocked a consensus text.
Why it matters
This is the first reported attempt to put the administration’s “super intelligence” wording into a multilateral text. In AI research “superintelligence” means systems far beyond human ability, so the rename blurs a technical term that safety debates rely on. The outcome is due with the IMFC statement on Oct 17 (see the upcoming item).
Sources
2 sources from 2 sites. Numbers match the chips in the text.
2 sources: 2 press
Press
Changes
- Filed (Reuters read via Oman Observer syndication)