Tesla accidentally reveals full-form of Musk's xAI venture
What's the story
Tesla's recent disclosure of Elon Musk's $1 trillion compensation plan has inadvertently shed light on the ambiguous branding of his AI venture, xAI. The plan, detailed in a 16-page document dated September 5, highlights Musk's leadership and accomplishments. It specifically mentions "eXploratory Artificial Intelligence, or 'xAI,'" revealing the full form of Musk's AI venture, which many have tried to guess since its founding in 2023.
Term usage
'eXploratory AI' meaning remains unclear
The term "eXploratory artificial intelligence" does not appear on xAI's website or in official documents. The term "exploratory AI" is used by some companies in public statements, while a few academics use the abbreviation "XAI" to denote "explainable" or "exploratory" artificial intelligence in research papers. Some niche blogs have also claimed xAI stands for "exploratory artificial intelligence," but they rarely cite sources for this claim.
Chatbot reference
Musk's chatbot Grok discusses 'exploratory AI'
Musk's chatbot Grok has mentioned the term "exploratory AI" in nine posts on X (formerly Twitter) between July and August 2025. However, it wasn't used as an alternative name for xAI. The context was more about the chatbot's interactions with Isaac, a character inspired by Isaac Asimov, in content exploring "exploratory AI" interactions.
Silence persists
Tesla and xAI remain tight-lipped about the name
When asked for clarification about the company's name, both Tesla and xAI remained tight-lipped. This only adds to the mystery of what "xAI" stands for, leaving it open to interpretation without any confirmation from Musk or his companies. Musk has described the goal of xAI as "to build a good AGI with the overarching purpose of just trying to understand the universe."