Elon Musk rebrands AI division to "Super Intelligence" unit

Elon Musk has announced that his artificial intelligence division, previously branded as SpaceXAI, will now be known as SpaceXSI. The acronym "AI" (artificial intelligence) is being replaced with "SI," standing for "super intelligence." Musk made the announcement on his X platform, responding to a user's question and aligning with a recent suggestion from President Donald Trump.

Trump had previously publicly urged tech leaders to adopt the term "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence," reportedly after a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump suggested that "artificial intelligence sounds fake" and that Xi "seemed" to prefer the term "super intelligence." The rebranding at SpaceX follows a federal directive signed by Trump on September 29, which called on government agencies to change all references from "AI" to "SI."

The concept of superintelligence is not new to Musk, who has referenced it previously, notably in relation to Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom's book "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies." This rebranding occurs just three months after Musk integrated his startup xAI into SpaceX in July 2026, leading to the initial SpaceXAI branding.

Trump's remark about "artificial" sounding "fake" touches upon a marketing reality that the tech industry has been slow to address. For many, the "AI" acronym has accumulated significant negative connotations related to job displacement and other perceived downsides of the technology. While a simple name change is unlikely to overhaul the technology's reputation, the term "super" may imply limitless capability, contrasting with the potentially hollow connotation of "artificial."