Elon Musk corrected himself from 'AI' to 'SI' beside President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, 29 September, while answering reporters after a closed-door White House meeting with technology executives.
Musk was responding to a question about jobs and the effect increasingly capable technology could have on work. 'Well, I think it is worth highlighting the positive benefits of AI,' Musk said before stopping himself. 'SI, pardon me.'
Trump thanked him for using the new term. Musk laughed and added, 'Super Intelligence.' The correction had immediate context.
Earlier that day, Trump signed an executive order directing executive-branch agencies to use 'Super Intelligence' and 'SI' instead of 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI' in specified official materials. The order does not automatically rewrite existing laws, regulations, contracts or historical documents.
Why Elon Musk Switched From AI to SI
Musk's correction came after Trump made 'SI' the administration's preferred terminology for executive-branch communications. The order applies, to the extent permitted by law, to materials including official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports and policy documents.
For now, the order uses the existing statutory definition of artificial intelligence as the working definition for 'Super Intelligence.' It also gives the assistant to the president for science and technology 60 days to propose legislative language for a federal definition.
The terminology shift was only part of the White House event. Trump and technology executives also signed a voluntary accord covering safeguards for advanced systems. Reuters reported that the agreement calls for internal controls, outside assessments and board-level oversight.
The public exchange with Musk happened after the closed-door meeting, when Trump and several executives spoke to reporters outside the White House.
Musk was not announcing a scientific change to artificial intelligence. He was adopting terminology the administration had just directed federal agencies to use in specified materials.
Elon Musk Says Jobs Will Change
Asked about employment, Musk argued that technological progress has repeatedly changed the kinds of work people do.
He pointed to the word 'computer,' which once referred to people employed to perform calculations manually. Digital computers later took over many of those tasks.
Musk said people were unlikely to want to return to manually calculating figures such as bank interest. He used that example to argue that employment roles would continue evolving as artificial intelligence and robotics became more capable.
He also said there was 'tremendous demand for people' while addressing concerns that advanced technology could displace workers.
That was a forecast, not evidence about future labour markets. Musk did not provide figures showing how many jobs could disappear or be created.
Elon Musk Predicts an 'Age of Abundance'
Musk then offered a broader prediction about living standards. He said the most likely outcome of increasingly capable technology would be an 'age of abundance'. Rather than universal basic income, Musk predicted what he called 'universal high income'.
He did not explain during the exchange how such an income system would be funded, distributed or administered. No timetable was given.
Musk also linked Super Intelligence and robotics to healthcare. He predicted the technology could eventually allow people to receive medical care better than what wealthy individuals have today, including himself.
That statement was also a future-looking claim. Musk did not provide evidence, implementation details or a timeframe for achieving that level of healthcare.
What Trump's Super Intelligence Order Changes
Trump's executive order changes terminology used by the executive branch in specified settings, but it does not mean the scientific field has been universally renamed.
The order says the government should use 'Super Intelligence' and 'SI' in place of 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI' to the maximum extent permitted by law. Existing legal definitions continue to apply unless Congress or later executive action changes them.
That distinction explains Musk's brief correction beside Trump. He began with the familiar term, caught himself and switched to the administration's newly preferred language.
The exchange then returned to Musk's larger argument about automation, work and living standards, claims that remain predictions rather than established outcomes.
