In a new interview, CEO Tim Cook says that Apple began looking into what became Apple Intelligence in 2017, just as Apple Park was opening.
It's been repeatedly claimed that Apple is behind the industry on artificial intelligence, and that's just as often been refuted. Now before it became known as Apple Intelligence, Tim Cook says that AI crept up on Apple — but crept up a long time ago.
"I wouldn't say there was an aha moment," he told Steven Levy in Wired. "It built like a wave, or like rolling thunder."
"Back in 2017 we built a neural engine into our products," he continued. "It was already apparent that AI and machine learning were huge... It became obvious that we had to divert lots of people to it, that it would be a new era for our products."
It was 2018 when Apple hired away Google's head of AI, John Giannandrea, and he has said that machine learning soon permeated everything. But it wasn't until 2024 that Apple announced Apple Intelligence.
Following the announcement at WWDC, Apple debuted certain Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1. Much more is due in iOS 18.2, and it is intended to continue improving at least throughout 2025.
Making AI useful but private
Saying that Apple "wanted to innovate in such a way that things would be personal and private," Cook reveals that there was a debate before settling on the name Apple Intelligence. But he also says that there was no debate and not even a discussion about charging users for AI tools.
"We never talked about charging for it," says Cook. "We view it sort of like multitouch, which enabled the smartphone revolution and the modern tablet."
Cook insists that Apple Intelligence doesn't replace people, it helps them do things better. "It's still coming from you," he says. "It's your thoughts and your perspective."
He makes the analogy that "Logic Pro helps musicians create music, but they're still the author." And he compares AI to "the productivity that came from the advent of the personal computer."
Cook is less convincing about one of Apple's own ads that sees a job candidate use Apple Intelligence to rewrite their cover letter to sound more professional.
"By using the tool, [the application] comes across as more polished," he says. "It's still your decision to use the tool. It's like you and I collaborating on something — one plus one can equal more than two, right?"
Working at Apple Park
Cook is also enthused about the collaboration he says Apple Park has brought, calling the decision to build it a 100-year decision."
"[There] are so many places here where you just unexpectedly run into people," he says. "In the cafeteria, at the coffee bar, outside when you're going across the pathway."
It's now three years since Cook said he would "probably" be leaving Apple within a decade. Today he won't put such an exact figure on it, although he says that he gets "asked that question now more than I used to."
"It's a privilege of a lifetime to be here," he continues, "and I'll do it until the voice in my head says, 'It's time,' and then I'll go and focus on what the next chapter looks like."
"But it's hard to imagine life without Apple, because my life has been wrapped up in this company since 1998," says Cook. "It's the overwhelming majority of my adult life. And so I love it."
Separately, Cook has recently been talking more about the start of his career, rather than its end. He's talked about how a family work ethic helps him at Apple today.
6 Comments
I am using the beta version of iOS that allows ChatGPT integration. In my limited experience so far, the only useful part of Apple intelligence is the inclusion of Chat GPT. Exactly what has Apple been doing with their billions and years of research? Is there any Apple specific parts of Apple Intelligence that I am not using or haven't noticed yet? It's a shame that Apple had a huge lead when Siri was brand new but they let it stagnate for so long that it became a running joke in regards to ineptitude.
I use Siri all the time now because it provides instant answers. That’s a big leap from the era when all it would do is take you to the appropriate website.
it it’s also fantastic for language translations. All I have to do is say for instance, “how do you say in French…”
Siri respondes better when the user has eaten some peanut butter, like Alexia with fried eggs or maybe Siri has no response at all when the user had eaten swordfish at lunch. ;)