Super Intelligence (SI)
Super Intelligence (SI) is now the official term US federal agencies use for the technologies sometimes still called artificial intelligence (AI). If you build, buy, or sell communications technology, you will likely see it in federal documents, solicitations, and agency websites. Here is what SI means, where it came from, and how Bandwidth uses it.
What is Super Intelligence (SI)?
Super Intelligence (SI) is the term US executive branch agencies use in place of “artificial intelligence.” Under Executive Order 14434, SI means the technologies and systems covered by the existing federal statutory definition of AI. SI is a new name for an existing legal category.
In plain terms, that category covers machine-based systems that pursue human-defined objectives and make predictions, recommendations, or decisions that influence real or virtual environments. These systems perceive an environment, turn that input into models, and use those models to choose options for information or action.
How Bandwidth uses the term Super Intelligence
Bandwidth uses SI the way the executive order defines it: the same technologies and systems US law already covers as artificial intelligence. We don’t use the term to describe a hypothetical future system or to claim that a product exceeds human ability.
As a network owner and CPaaS, Bandwidth offers several SI solutions for enterprise and platform communications. A couple highlighted products include:
- Call Intelligence with SI redaction. SI finds and redacts sensitive information based on customizable rules set by a company, such as personally identifiable information (PII), in call data. Your team can learn from conversations while protecting customer details.
- SI agents. These agents, which we sometimes call virtual agents, take on defined communications tasks, like porting numbers, so your team can focus on work that needs a human.
Many SI agents act on their own across multi-step tasks. Read more in our glossary entry on agentic AI.
Why the communications layer matters for SI
SI in customer communications depends on the network underneath it. A live call that includes SI needs low latency, reliable routing, and strong data protection.
Bandwidth owns and operates its network. Bandwidth AI is built at the edge of our global network, and Bandwidth is ISO 42001:2023 certified. That gives enterprises a foundation they can trust as their AI/SI use grows.
Where does the term Super Intelligence come from?
President Trump signed Executive Order 14434, “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” on September 29, 2026. The Federal Register published it on October 2, 2026. The order does four things:
- Sets the terminology. Federal agencies use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in non-statutory documents, such as websites, reports, and public communications, to the maximum extent permitted by law.
- Sets the definition. SI has the same meaning as artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3), unless another law provides otherwise.
- Looks forward. Agencies do not need to rewrite earlier regulations, contracts, grants, or historical documents.
- Initiates a review period. The Assistant to the President for Science and Technology has 60 days, which falls on November 28, to submit proposed legislative language for a federal SI definition.
How is Super Intelligence different from AI?
Under the executive order, SI and AI mean the same thing. The name changed. The legal definition did not.
| Term | Where you see it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Super Intelligence (SI) | US executive branch communications, widening adoption across industry | Advanced AI that goes beyond our past understanding of human and machine capabilities |
| Artificial intelligence (AI) | Federal statute, industry, and everyday consumer use | Machine-based systems that make predictions, recommendations, or decisions toward human-defined objectives |
| Superintelligence (ASI) | Academic AI research and philosophy | A hypothetical system that far outperforms humans across virtually all domains |
Super Intelligence vs. superintelligence in research
Researchers use “superintelligence” for a different idea. Philosopher Nick Bostrom described it in his 2014 book as an intellect that greatly exceeds human cognitive performance in virtually all areas. Researchers also call this artificial superintelligence (ASI). No such system exists today.
When you read about SI, check the context. A federal document uses SI as a label for today’s technologies. A research paper uses superintelligence for a hypothetical future.
Frequently asked questions
Under Executive Order 14434, yes. SI and AI cover the same technologies and systems.
No. Artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI) are research concepts for hypothetical systems. The federal definition of SI points to the broad statutory definition of AI, which covers many systems in use today.
The order’s text directs executive departments and agencies. It sets no requirements for private companies. Companies that work with federal agencies may see the new term in solicitations and correspondence.
Call Intelligence with SI redaction and Bandwidth’s SI agents, also called virtual agents. Explore more of Bandwidth’s SI innovations.
See how Bandwidth applies SI to customer communications
Backed by a Tier 1 network, Bandwidth’s Super Intelligence (SI) helps voice and messaging systems understand, decide, and act in real time. Many in the industry call these same capabilities AI. Because Bandwidth owns its US carrier network, SI runs on the call itself, not on top of it.
Call Intelligence with SI redaction
Call Intelligence records, transcribes, and redacts calls at the source. Bandwidth carries the call, so Call Intelligence captures it on the network before it reaches any software. There is no extra vendor to add. SI redaction uses advanced AI to mask standard personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, in call audio and transcripts. You provision it for each phone number.
SI agents and virtual agents
SI agents, which we sometimes call virtual agents, take on defined communications tasks. Bandwidth’s SI Porting Agent works inside the Bandwidth App. It translates a port rejection, checks it against your Customer Service Record, and lets you correct and reschedule a number port without talking to a specialist.
Four layers that support SI on every live call
- Infrastructure: every connection, owned. Our Tier-1 network carries Super Intelligence with 99.999% core network uptime. The Bandwidth Universal Platform unifies nearly 70 countries on one software layer.
- Orchestration: every choice, yours. Maestro™ gives you more control over routing for Super Intelligence across the contact center and communications platforms you already use.
- Performance: every millisecond, earned. GPU infrastructure in our US data centers delivers ultra-low latency Super Intelligence right next to the call, with global expansion planned for 2027. Bandwidth also built its own streaming speech-to-text model for enterprise phone calls.
- Trust: every call, proven. Network-level call authentication and outbound number reputation tools help verify who, or what, is on the line, including Super Intelligence agents. Bandwidth is also ISO 42001:2023 certified.
