In a new interview, CEO Tim Cook says Apple began looking into what became Apple Intelligence in 2017, right around the time Apple Park opened.
It has been repeatedly claimed that Apple is behind the industry in artificial intelligence, and this has been disproven just as often. Before it was known as Apple Intelligence, Tim Cook says AI crept into Apple – but it crept a long time ago.
“I wouldn’t say there was an aha moment.” he said Steven Lévy in Wired. “It built like a wave or like thunder.”
“In 2017, we integrated a neural engine into our products,” he continued. “It was already clear that AI and machine learning was huge…It became clear that we needed to put a lot of people into it, that it would be a new era for our products.”
It was in 2018 that Apple hired Google’s head of AI, John Giannandrea, and he said machine learning quickly permeated everything. But it wasn’t until 2024 that Apple announced Apple Intelligence.
Following the WWDC announcement, Apple launched some Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1. Much more is expected in iOS 18.2, and it should continue to improve at least through 2025.
Make AI useful but private
Saying that Apple “wanted to innovate in a way that made things personal and private,” Cook reveals that there was some debate before choosing the name Apple Intelligence. But he also says there has been no debate or even discussion about charging users for AI tools.
“We never talked about charging for that,” Cook says. “We consider it a bit like multitouch, which enabled the revolution of smartphones and the modern tablet.”
Cook insists that Apple Intelligence doesn’t replace people, but helps them do things better. “It always comes from you,” he said. “These are your thoughts and your point of view.”
He makes the analogy that “Logic Pro helps musicians create music, but they are still the author.” And he compares AI to “the productivity resulting from the advent of the personal computer”.
Cook is less convincing about one of Apple’s own ads that sees a candidate use Apple Intelligence to rewrite their cover letter to appear more professional.
“By using the tool, (the application) appears more refined,” he says. “It’s always up to you to decide whether 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 excited about the collaboration Apple Park has brought, he says, calling the decision to build it a 100-year decision.
“(There) are so many places here where you meet people unexpectedly,” he says. “In the cafeteria, at the coffee bar, outside when you cross the path.”
It’s now been three years since Cook said he would “probably” leave Apple within ten years. Today, he won’t give such a precise figure, although he says he “gets asked this question more often than before.”
“It’s a privilege to be here,” he continues, “and I’ll do it until the voice in my head says, ‘It’s time,’ and then I’ll focus on what the next one will look like chapter.
“But it’s hard to imagine life without Apple, because my life has been with this company since 1998,” Cook says. “It’s the vast majority of my adult life. And so I love it.”
Furthermore, Cook has recently spoken more about the beginning of his career than the end. He explained how a familial work ethic helps him today at Apple.