Tesla Removes 'Autopilot' Name in New Software Update [Updated] – Not a Tesla App

Tesla is officially distancing itself from one of its most famous (and controversial) brand names. With the release of software update 2026.2.9 earlier today, the company has begun renaming several core features of its driver-assistance suite.
According to the official release notes, the "Autopilot Naming Update" is primarily a text change. Tesla clarified that "This change only updates the name of certain features and text in your vehicle, and does not change the way your features behave". Specifically, the long-standing "Navigate on Autopilot" feature has been renamed to "Navigate on Autosteer," and the hardware itself, formerly known as the "FSD Computer," is now officially called the "AI Computer".
Tesla is also refining the on-screen experience with several minor UI adjustments to reinforce a new "Self-Driving" identity for Autopilot. One of the most prominent changes is the message that appears when a driver takes over manual control; the prompt now reads, "Self-Driving Disengaged. What Happened?" This comes with a broader reorganization of the vehicle's settings, where the primary menu section previously labeled "Autopilot" has been officially renamed to "Self-Driving".
However, the rollout of this new branding appears to be somewhat inconsistent across the interface, leading to what could be a confusing experience for some drivers. While much of the UI now uses the simplified "Self-Driving" label, the term "Full Self-Driving" continues to be used in the Speed Profile menu, and the "FSD (Supervised) Stats" section continues to use the older acronym. For the rebranding to be truly effective and less confusing for owners, these changes will likely need to be applied universally across every sub-menu and status indicator.
This branding pivot isn't happening in a vacuum. Tesla has a storied history of clashing with regulators who argue that names like "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" are misleading to consumers. The most recent pressure came from the California DMV, which accused Tesla of false advertising. To avoid a potential 60-day sales ban in its home state, Tesla capitulated by removing Autopilot from new vehicle sales and shifting its marketing toward "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)".
Tesla is currently suing the California DMV to reverse that false advertising label, but the changes in the car’s software show the company is playing it safe for now. This isn't just a U.S. issue, either; Tesla faced a similar legal battle in Germany back in 2023, and that’s just one of many examples. Last month, the company even discontinued Autopilot for new orders in the U.S. and Canada altogether, with new cars now shipping only with Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC).
Beyond the name changes, there are a couple changes for FSD users. Most notably, users currently on FSD v14 are now receiving the 2026.2 software branch for the first time.
It appears that FSD v14 is now becoming the "standard" version of the software that everyone receives when they subscribe to the service. This move helps unify the fleet, ensuring that more drivers are on the same version of the neural network as Tesla works toward a version of the software that won't require driver supervision. The branding shift also follows the retirement of the iconic Autopilot symbol from the UI last fall.
While the "Autopilot" name is slowly fading away, Tesla’s ultimate goal of an unsupervised system hasn't changed. By renaming the hardware to the "AI Computer," the company is emphasizing that the vehicle is essentially a robot on wheels, powered by artificial intelligence rather than a simple set of programmed rules.
As Tesla shifts its focus away from being a car company and toward a future centered on AI and robotics, these "semantic" changes are likely just the beginning of a larger image rebrand.
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