superintelligence

noun

su·​per·​in·​tel·​li·​gence ˌsü-pər-in-ˈte-lə-jən(t)s 

plural superintelligences

1

: an entity that surpasses humans in overall intelligence or in some particular measure of intelligence

A speed superintelligence could do everything a human mind could do, but much faster.

—Nick Bostrom

also : the intelligence displayed by such an entity

the development of machine superintelligence

2

: an extremely or extraordinarily high degree of intelligence

displayed superintelligence in mathematics

… the first of a planned trilogy about teens whose empathic abilities give them an emotional superintelligence.

—Terry Hong

Examples of superintelligence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their sweeping measure, announced earlier this month, would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence and temporarily pause advanced AI development until federal safety rules are established. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026

As a new research paper put it, recent breaches have been the result not of a developing superintelligence as some top AI leaders warn, but of insufficient technical guardrails leaving networks vulnerable. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026

These pioneers fully expected that machines would one day surpass humans—that AGI would become ASI, or artificial superintelligence—because there’s no reason to expect that humans are the pinnacle of intelligence. — George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

And, like, Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar have legislation in Congress to ban the pursuit of superintelligence. — Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for superintelligence

• counterintelligence
• intelligence