Elon Musk said SpaceX will rename its artificial intelligence unit from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, aligning the company with President Donald Trump’s push to replace the term “artificial intelligence” with “super intelligence.”
Musk confirmed the planned change Sunday in a post on X after a user asked whether SpaceXAI would be renamed SpaceXSI.
“Yes, we will make that change,” Musk replied.
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He later stated that “SpaceX is a super intelligence company.”
The announcement follows an executive order signed by Trump on September 29 directing U.S. government agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” in official communications, websites, reports and other non-statutory documents.
SpaceX had not immediately changed the name of the SpaceXAI account on X when the announcement was published. Musk did not provide a timetable for the rebranding, and SpaceXAI did not immediately comment on the move.
The move is largely a branding decision, but it highlights how terminology around sophisticated AI systems is becoming part of a broader policy and technology debate in the United States.
Trump has argued that “super intelligence” better captures the capabilities of today’s frontier systems. His executive order says the technologies being developed by U.S. companies increasingly go beyond simply imitating or automating aspects of human intelligence and represent a new technological frontier.
The order does not create a new technical category for the technology. It defines “Super Intelligence” and “SI,” for purposes of the order, using the existing federal statutory definition of artificial intelligence, while directing the White House science and technology office to propose a federal definition within 60 days.
Trump had already begun using the terminology publicly. In his September address to the United Nations General Assembly, he referred to AI as “Super Intelligence” and rejected what he described as attempts to establish global control over the technology.
The terminology was also featured prominently at a White House gathering of technology executives on September 29. Trump met with leaders from companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Nvidia and Google as his administration sought to frame the development of powerful AI systems as both an economic opportunity and a national priority.
“The extraordinary technologies being pioneered by American innovators far exceed what was envisioned when the term “Artificial Intelligence” first came into use. The capabilities of today’s frontier systems do much more than imitate or automate discrete aspects of human intelligence…
“As these capabilities continue to improve, they increasingly represent not merely artificial intelligence, but a new era of Super Intelligence,” Trump said.
Musk’s decision to adopt the new terminology is notable given his broader involvement in the development of AI systems. SpaceXAI is part of his effort to build AI capabilities within SpaceX, extending the company’s technology ambitions beyond rockets, satellites and space infrastructure.
The rebranding also comes as Washington increases its focus on AI competitiveness and safety. The Trump administration has emphasized maintaining U.S. technological leadership while resisting regulatory approaches that it argues could slow innovation relative to China. At the same time, the White House has been pursuing voluntary safety commitments from major AI developers, including measures involving internal controls, independent auditing, and protection against unauthorized access.
The approach seems to have created an unusual overlap between terminology and policy. “Super intelligence” is being used by the administration not merely as an alternative label but as part of a broader effort to characterize the current generation of AI systems as a distinct technological frontier.
The terminology is not universally adopted across the industry. Companies, researchers, and policymakers continue to use “artificial intelligence” and “AI” as the standard descriptions for the field. Trump’s order applies specifically to the executive branch, and it does not require private companies to change their terminology.
Musk’s decision is therefore voluntary and primarily symbolic. Nevertheless, SpaceX’s planned move could give the administration’s preferred terminology additional visibility, particularly because Musk is one of the most prominent technology executives supporting the U.S. AI industry.
The timing is also significant because the Trump administration is expanding the institutional framework around the technology. The White House recently announced a Super Intelligence Force led by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, with a mandate to examine the risks and opportunities associated with the technology and define the government’s role.
Trump’s administration has also begun using “SI” in its dealings with China. The White House said Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to use the term “super intelligence” rather than “artificial intelligence” for the relevant emerging technologies and established a U.S.-China Super Intelligence Dialogue focused on the risks and benefits of the technology.
For Musk, however, the immediate change is much simpler: SpaceXAI is expected to become SpaceXSI.