Musk follows Trump's lead, swaps AI for SI in SpaceX rebrand

The term 'Artificial Intelligence' may be replaced with 'Super Intelligence' in official communications, impacting how AI capabilities are discussed.

Elon Musk has announced that SpaceXAI, the joint venture between SpaceX and xAI, will be renamed SpaceXSI. This follows a September 29 executive order from US President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to replace "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) with "Super Intelligence" (SI) in official communications. Musk publicly endorsed the change with a post stating, "No more AI. SI. It's better." The spacexsi.com domain was listed for sale at the time of the announcement. While Trump's order applies to federal agencies, it does not mandate private companies to rebrand. This move aligns with a broader trend among tech leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg, who use the term "superintelligence" to describe their aspirations. SpaceX has a history of rebranding, notably when Twitter was renamed X.

The rebranding of SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, prompted by a presidential executive order, signals a governmental attempt to frame the discourse around advanced computing capabilities. By mandating the term "Super Intelligence," the administration seeks to align public perception with the most ambitious future visions of AI, potentially influencing investment and research priorities. This top-down directive could create a ripple effect across the industry, encouraging other organizations to adopt the new terminology to align with federal communication standards or to capitalize on the evolving narrative.

This shift from AI to SI, while voluntary for private entities, reflects a growing emphasis on the ultimate potential of AI development rather than its current state. Companies pursuing advanced AI research, particularly those aiming for artificial general intelligence or beyond, may find the "Super Intelligence" label more fitting for their long-term goals. It also raises questions about how the term "intelligence" itself will be redefined and measured in the coming years, as the focus moves towards a more aspirational and potentially less grounded definition.