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SpaceXAI will become SpaceXSI: Musk drops 'AI' for 'super intelligence', and what it means for Grok in your Tesla3 min

SpaceXAI will become SpaceXSI: Musk drops 'AI' for 'super intelligence', and what it means for Grok in your Tesla

xAI / Grok ·

Elon Musk says SpaceX's AI division will be renamed SpaceXSI, short for SpaceX Super Intelligence. There is no timeline yet. Here is why it is happening and what, if anything, changes for Tesla owners.

The company behind Grok is set to change its name for the second time this year. On Sunday, October 4, Elon Musk posted on X: "No more AI", followed by "SI" and "It's better". When a user asked whether SpaceXAI would become SpaceXSI, he replied: "Yes, we will make that change." SI stands for super intelligence.

What we know

  • New name: SpaceXSI, short for SpaceX Super Intelligence. The "I" still stands for intelligence; "artificial" is replaced by "super".
  • Timing: none given. As of Monday, the official accounts, the website x.ai and the company itself still used the name SpaceXAI.
  • Comment: SpaceXAI did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters and other outlets.

It would be the second rebrand in a few months. Grok's maker began as the independent start-up xAI, was taken over by SpaceX in February 2026 and was renamed SpaceXAI in July, with a logo that combines the xAI and SpaceX designs.

Why now

The change follows a push by President Donald Trump to use the term "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence". In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Trump argued that the old term sounded fake and said US documents would be changed. According to Jalopnik, the State Department has since told US diplomats to use "super intelligence" in official correspondence, and on the same Sunday the White House set up a super intelligence task force.

Reporting differs on the exact government measures behind the shift, and Musk himself gave no reason beyond saying the new term is better. What is clear is that the rename mirrors the language now used by the US government.

Is it more than a name?

On its own, no. The products, the Grok models and the Colossus data centers stay the same. Critics, such as Jalopnik's writer, argue that a new label does nothing about the real debates around AI, from the energy use and emissions of data centers to the pressure on chip supply. Supporters see it as a signal of ambition: the goal is not a chatbot but systems that outperform people.

What it means for Tesla

For Tesla drivers, nothing changes for now. Grok is the voice assistant in Tesla cars, but the name shown in the car is decided by Tesla's software, and Musk has not said whether Tesla will adopt the SI label for its own AI work. Some Tesla watchers expect the in-car assistant could eventually be described as an "SI assistant", but that is speculation.

The financial link remains. Tesla invested $2 billion in xAI in January 2026, and that was converted into a minority stake in SpaceX when SpaceX took over xAI. Whatever the division is called, Tesla shareholders have a small indirect interest in it, and Tesla depends on it for Grok in its cars and, in future, for conversation in the Optimus robot.

What to watch next

  • When the name change becomes official, on the website, accounts and in filings.
  • Whether Tesla follows with its own wording, for example in software release notes.
  • Whether other AI companies adopt the new term, or stick with AI.
Sources (3)
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