Musk signals renaming SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI after Trump's “SI” push
Version 2: More Korean outlets have picked up the story, with headlines framing it as Musk falling in line with Trump and one noting that Reuters and Fox Business also covered the remarks, but no new details on whether or when the name change will be carried out have emerged.
In short
Elon Musk said on X that he will change the name of his artificial intelligence unit SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, replying “Yes, we will make that change” to a user's question on Oct 4. He also wrote “No more AI. SI. It's better,” following US President Donald Trump's call to replace “Artificial” with “Super” and an executive order on the term. No renaming had taken effect: the unit's official X account and website still used SpaceXAI, and Musk gave no timetable.
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Elon Musk, the SpaceX chief executive, said he would change the name of his artificial intelligence unit SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, after a user on X asked him whether he would do so. “Yes, we will make that change,” Musk replied on Oct 4, according to Yonhap and Hankook Ilbo. He also wrote “No more AI. SI. It's better,” and, Hankook Ilbo reported, declared that SpaceX is a superintelligence company. AI Times reported that Musk had signalled a possible rebranding to SpaceXSI. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
The remarks follow statements by US President Donald Trump. In a speech at the UN General Assembly last month, Trump said “Artificial” should be replaced by the more accurate “Super,” and that it should be called super intelligence, according to AI Times and Hankook Ilbo. Yonhap and Hankook Ilbo reported that Trump also signed an executive order directing the federal government to use the term SI. AI Times said the intent was to dispel the artificial, negative image of the word “artificial,” and that some critics argue established industry terminology is being changed wholesale without clear standards. [ 1 , 3 , 6 ]
Hankook Ilbo placed Musk's response in the context of his recently warming relationship with Trump. It reported that Trump met AI company executives at the White House on Sept 29, and that at a White House dinner last week Musk mistakenly said “AI” before immediately correcting himself to “SI,” to which Trump replied “thank you.” The outlet also cited the US tech outlet Gizmodo as assessing that Musk had effectively surrendered to Trump's demand for the terminology change. [ 6 ]
No renaming had taken effect. As of 6 p.m. US Western time, SpaceXAI's official X account and website still displayed the name SpaceXAI, with the website address x.ai, Yonhap reported. AI Times said the official X account name and brand remained as before and that SpaceXAI had not stated a position on the matter. Musk gave no date or procedure for the change, and Hankook Ilbo said Reuters likewise reported no further information on timing. Maeil Business said Reuters and Fox Business also covered the remarks prominently. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
SpaceXAI is the company's AI unit, formed after Musk's AI startup xAI was combined with SpaceX. Yonhap said Musk merged xAI into SpaceX as a wholly owned subsidiary and then changed the company name to SpaceXAI in July; Hankook Ilbo said SpaceX acquired xAI in February and that the official name changed in July. Hankook Ilbo added that the unit develops the generative AI chatbot Grok, and that the name would be changed again only about three months after the last change. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Chosun Ilbo framed the move in headlines as Musk moving to please Trump and pushing yet another name change for SpaceX, and Kukmin Ilbo's headline said big tech was falling in line with Trump's wording. Seoul Shinmun's headline likewise described Musk as following Trump's “SI.” Those items carried no further details. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The statement ties the naming of a major Musk-owned AI unit to a US presidential directive on terminology, a shift the documents say has drawn industry pushback. Beyond the symbolism, the documents show no operational change so far: the name, accounts and website remain as before, and no schedule has been given.
Key facts
- Musk said on Oct 4 that he would change SpaceXAI's name to SpaceXSI, replying “Yes, we will make that change” to a user on X. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Musk also posted “No more AI. SI. It's better,” and, according to Hankook Ilbo, said SpaceX is a superintelligence company. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- The remarks follow Trump's UN General Assembly speech urging the use of “Super” instead of “Artificial,” and an executive order directing federal use of “SI.” [ 1 , 3 , 6 ]
- SpaceXAI's official X account and website still showed the old name, with the website address x.ai, as of 6 p.m. US Western time; AI Times said the brand and account name were unchanged. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Musk gave no date or procedure for the change, and SpaceXAI made no statement on the matter. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- SpaceXAI is the AI unit formed after Musk combined xAI with SpaceX, taking the SpaceXAI name in July; it develops the generative AI chatbot Grok, per Hankook Ilbo. [ 3 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Musk said he would change SpaceXAI's name to SpaceXSI. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]
- Musk posted that AI should be called SI. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Trump called for using “Super” instead of “Artificial,” and signed an executive order on the SI term. [ 1 , 3 , 6 ]
- No name change had taken effect, with the unit's official X account and website still carrying SpaceXAI. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Musk did not say when the change would be implemented. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the rebranding will actually be carried out, and when. The documents say Musk gave no schedule or details, that SpaceXAI has not stated a position, and that the official accounts and website still use the old name.
- How xAI was brought into SpaceX and when. Yonhap says Musk merged xAI into SpaceX as a wholly owned subsidiary and renamed it SpaceXAI in July, while Hankook Ilbo says SpaceX acquired xAI in February; the two accounts differ and each is from a single outlet.
- Criticism that the terminology change is being pushed without clear standards and against industry resistance. Stated by AI Times only, with no named critics or further detail.
- The state of Musk's relationship with Trump, including a White House dinner last week where Musk corrected himself from “AI” to “SI.” Reported by Hankook Ilbo alone, which also cites a Gizmodo assessment that Musk had effectively surrendered to Trump's demand.
- Whether other tech companies are following the terminology shift. Suggested only by a Kukmin Ilbo headline about big tech falling in line, with no details or named firms.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Trump meets AI company executives at the White House and then listens as Musk speaks to reporters, according to a Hankook Ilbo photo caption. [ 6 ]
- Musk posts on X that “No more AI. SI. It's better,” and answers a user asking whether SpaceXAI will become SpaceXSI with “Yes, we will make that change.” [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- As of 6 p.m. US Western time, SpaceXAI's official X account and website still show the name SpaceXAI, with the website address x.ai, Yonhap reports. [ 3 ]
- AI Times reports that Musk has signalled a possible rebranding to SpaceXSI. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports Musk's statement and the executive order on the SI term, and says no procedures or timing were mentioned. [ 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports that the company name has not actually changed and that Musk has given no schedule. [ 6 ]
- Maeil Business reports the renaming remarks and that no timing or procedure is known. [ 7 ]