The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs has often been regarded as a visionary, but not many people are aware that he foresaw the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) nearly 40 years ago.
An old video of Steve Jobs discussing his prediction for a modern technology breakthrough has recently resurfaced on social media. In 1985, the co-founder of Apple believed that soon we would have access to a tool with a vast amount of information, which is essentially what AI offers today.
Jobs used the Greek philosopher Aristotle as an example to illustrate his prediction. He expressed hope that a future tool would enable users to ask a philosopher a question and receive an answer interactively, likening it to students being able to interact with the knowledge of Aristotle himself.
In essence, Jobs compared Aristotle’s knowledge to the vast amount of information available on the internet, highlighting how AI chatbots like ChatGPT make it easy for people to receive feedback. Though Jobs was confident in the likelihood of such innovation, he overestimated the timeline, stating in the video that it could happen within 20 or even 10 years. Despite the delay, it is clear that his belief has finally come true after nearly 40 years.
Even after Jobs’ passing, the company he founded continued to pursue his vision. This was evident when Apple introduced Apple Intelligence at the WWDC 2024 developer’s conference. Senior Vice President Craig Federighi remarked, “This is a moment we’ve been working toward for a long time,” signaling the company’s commitment to realizing the late leader’s aspirations.