NIH switches from ‘AI’ to ‘Super Intelligence’ in official language
National Institutes of Health. October 26, 2026. Read the source.
Does NIH now require grant applicants to say ‘Super Intelligence’ instead of ‘AI’?
NIH notice NOT-OD-27-011, released October 23, 2026, says the federal government is moving from the terms artificial intelligence and AI to Super Intelligence and SI under Section 2 of Executive Order 14434, Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, published October 2, 2026. NIH recommends using SI terminology whenever practicable and says future guidance will cover its implementation. The notice changes vocabulary. It does not announce a change to NIH’s policies on how these systems may be used in applications or funded research.
What the notice says
Executive Order 14434 directs federal agencies to use Super Intelligence and SI in official documents and communications, including public communications, websites, and reports. NIH says it is working across the government to apply the terms consistently and recommends that applicants and grantees use SI terminology whenever practicable.
NIH gives the definition it will use, drawn from the order and from 15 U.S.C. 9401(3): a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments, using machine and human inputs to perceive environments, abstract those perceptions into models and use model inference to formulate options for information or action. That is the statutory definition of artificial intelligence with the name changed.
What it does not change
The notice is about words. It does not revise any NIH policy on the use of these systems in writing applications, in peer review, or in funded work. NIH says guidance on implementation is coming; until it arrives, the policies in force are the ones to follow, and an applicant who describes a method should use the term the funding announcement uses.
The practical rule for a proposal is the one that has always applied: match the funder’s vocabulary and say what you did. Where funders stand on AI tracks each agency’s position, including NIH’s, and will be updated as the implementation guidance posts.
What you can do today
More policy news: NIH webinar notices, October 26 to 28, 2026. The 2026 proposal to trim HHS block grant regulations. The 2026 final rule trimming child support program regulations. USDA SPUR guaranteed loans for FY 2027: who qualifies and how to apply. SBA surety bond guarantee fees: what changes on November 30, 2026.
Find the funding open to you this week.
Browsing and keyword search are free, and there is no card required.