Elon Musk announced that SpaceXAI, the subsidiary of SpaceX dedicated to artificial intelligence, will be renamed as SpaceXSI. The change occurs after Donald Trump defended the replacement of the term "artificial intelligence" with "superintelligence," in an attempt to highlight the capabilities of current technologies.
Musk confirmed the decision last Sunday on X, after a follower asked if the company would adopt the new acronym. The entrepreneur answered yes and clearly stated his preference for the new term.
Superintelligence is the term chosen by Trump after considering three other alternatives. – Image: bella1105 / Shutterstock.com
Musk confirms the name change
In a short post, Musk summarized his position: "There is no more AI. SI. It's better."
The statement came after Trump advocated for a new way to name artificial intelligence technologies. Before arriving at "superintelligence," the American president had suggested expressions such as "supreme intelligence," "extreme intelligence," and "superior intelligence."
On September 29, Trump signed an executive order introducing the new term in the U.S. government. According to the justification published by the White House, "Superintelligence" would better represent the capabilities of the technologies currently developed, highlighting their potential to expand human creativity and allow achievements that previously seemed impossible.
The explanation also seeks to differentiate these systems from the idea that they merely imitate or automate human intelligence.
From artificial intelligence to superintelligence
The attempt to replace the traditional term draws attention because "artificial intelligence" has been established for decades. The term was coined in 1955 by computer scientist John McCarthy and has since been used in academic research and popular culture.
The alternative considerations before the final choice also have their own characteristics:
- Supremacy intelligence: an expression associated with alien artificial intelligence in Marvel comics;
- Extreme intelligence: one of the options evaluated before defining the new term;
- Superior intelligence: another alternative considered during the process;
- Superintelligence: the expression chosen by Trump to replace the traditional term.
With the change, the SpaceXSI now incorporates into its own name the expression that Trump tries to introduce into the official vocabulary on these technologies.
Musk publicly supported the replacement of artificial intelligence with superintelligence advocated by Trump. – Image: QubixStudio/Shutterstock
Will the new term catch on? It is still unclear whether "SI" will be incorporated into the sector's vocabulary. "Artificial intelligence" is an established expression from decades ago, while "superintelligence" is starting to gain traction from Trump's initiative. Read more: SpaceX launches Google's AI chips into space for testing in future orbital data centers. Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google are accused of making an illegal agreement to slow down the advancement of AI. SpaceXAI creates an 'team' of AIs that work while you sleep. The very change of Twitter to X offers a parallel. As one of the quoted comments reminded, the public still has difficulty letting go of the old name. Now, SpaceXSI enters this naming dispute. The question remains whether the new acronym will have enough strength to make "SI" stop being just a choice of Musk and Trump and reach everyday use. Valdir Antonelli Valdir Antonelli is a journalist specializing in digital marketing and consumer behavior. See all articles → Tags: Elon Musk Artificial Intelligence SpaceXAI SpaceXSI Superintelligence artificial
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