Trump set the terminology battle in motion on Sept. 29, ordering federal executive-branch agencies to replace “artificial intelligence” and “AI” with “super intelligence” and “SI” in official, non-statutory communications where legally permitted. The order argued that the government’s language should reflect the technology’s “transformative capabilities” and “limitless opportunities.”¹

California moved the next day in the opposite direction. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies to retain “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI,” declaring on X: “I just signed an executive order permanently declaring Artificial Intelligence ‘Artificial Intelligence;’ in California. You’re welcome, America.”¹

Musk had already begun adopting the new label. On Oct. 2, he wrote that “Super Intelligence (fka AI) is now acing accounting tests,” according to reporting on the shift.¹ Two days later, he took the branding further: “SpaceX is a super intelligence company,” Musk posted, adding, “No more AI. SI. It’s better.” Asked whether SpaceXAI would be renamed SpaceXSI, he answered: “Yes, we will make that change.”¹

The move would place the former xAI business — acquired by SpaceX in February and responsible for the Grok chatbot and business tools — squarely inside Trump’s vocabulary campaign. Musk also amplified a post arguing that his interest in superintelligence predates the current “SI boom,” pointing to Nick Bostrom’s 2014 book and its acknowledgment of Musk’s discussions with the author.Elon Musk (elonmusk)²

But the announcement has met a familiar dose of doubt. One commentary distilled the reaction bluntly: “I’ll believe it when I see it,” arguing that Musk “says a lot of things.”³ For now, the rebrand is a declaration — and another test of whether Musk’s latest naming decision becomes a corporate reality.