Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple, made an astonishing prediction that is now making the rounds on social media. Jobs passed away in 2011. Jobs is shown predicting the arrival of tools similar to ChatGPT in the 1985 film, which was released more than three decades before the first generative tool was unveiled in November 2022.
In the video, Jobs expresses his hope for the development of an interactive tool within his lifetime. He poignantly notes the inability to interact with historical figures, saying, “I mean, I can’t…I don’t get an answer. And so my hope is that in our lifetimes, we can make a tool of a new kind of an interactive time.” This desire for interactive technology highlights Jobs’ forward-thinking vision and his belief in the transformative potential of computers.
Jobs’ speech delves into the broader implications of technological advancements, stating, “We are now entering another revolution of free energy. Macintosh (Mac computer) uses less power than a few of those light bulbs, and yet can save us a few hours a day or give us a whole new experience. And it’s free intellectual energy. It’s crude, very crude, but it’s getting more refined year after year after year, and in our lifetimes, it should get very refined.”
He envisions a future where the essence of great thinkers can be encapsulated in a computer. “And so my hope is someday when the next Aristotle is alive, we can capture the underlying worldview of that Aristotle, in a computer, and someday some students will be able to not only read the words Aristotle wrote, but ask Aristotle a question and get an answer. And that’s what I hope that we can do. So this is the beginning.”
This remarkable prediction underscores Jobs’ foresight and his unwavering belief in the power of technology to revolutionize learning and interaction. The eventual realization of tools like ChatGPT stands as a testament to his visionary aspirations, shaping a future where interactive AI becomes an integral part of our daily lives.