BUDAPEST: US President Donald Trump's preference for the term "superintelligence" over artificial intelligence has triggered a surge in registrations for Slovenian Internet domains, whose ".si" suffix matches his preferred abbreviation.
Trump told the UN General Assembly in New York last week that he considered the term artificial intelligence, or AI, inappropriate because it made the technology "sound fake."
Instead, he said he wanted the term "superintelligence," abbreviated as SI, to be used worldwide.
Since then, the number of domains registered in Slovenia has surged to more than 200,000, compared with around 3,500 in the previous month, according to register.si, the authority responsible for administering Slovenian domain names.
The agency said the sharp increase began following Trump's remarks.
"Despite the greatly increased number of requests to all Registry systems, all services are operating smoothly," register.si said, adding that it would closely monitor operations and take measures if necessary.
The authority rejected media speculation that it stood to make millions from the increased interest in ".si."
It also advised owners of brands, slogans and companies that do not yet have a ".si" domain to register one as soon as possible.
Trump has increasingly weighed in on the debate over the risks of artificial intelligence, after it emerged that recent models were showing deceptive behaviour and attempting to hack websites.
Trump argued after meeting AI executives in Washington that AI companies should largely supervise each other, arguing that it was important for the US to keep a lead over China.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned against "technology without accountability,” calling for safety standards and independent oversight mechanisms and saying "killer robots” should have no place in the future. – dpa
