The 3 Ways Steve Jobs Would Reinvent AI (I Barely Knew Him — But I Knew Enough)
"iThink" over Apple Intelligence. Kill Siri. Kick out Google. Just Jobs' playbook — here's your cheat sheet, Tim Cook.
I hardly knew Steve Jobs — just a few brushes.
He called me one evening for an interview. I asked him a question at AllThingsD. I glimpsed a more personal side of him through my good friend Gary Brickman.
And, like many, I’ve read all the biographies and devoured David Senra’s podcast (#281, #299, #349 and #350).
Here’s what I believe Steve would’ve done differently with AI — and what we can learn from it.
10-Second Summary of this Post
Steve Jobs would’ve rebranded AI as iThink — personal, emotional, and intuitive.
He’d license premium content (à la iTunes), not scrape it — and build AI people trust.
Apple’s AI would run on-device, protect privacy, and never sell user data.
He’d retire Siri and launch an ambient assistant that “helps without asking.”
Tim Cook has a rare chance to lead AI with elegance, ethics, and empathy — the Jobs way.
I’m picking just 3 sections for this article in honor of Steve’s love of the power of 3.
1) The Brand: Naming, Positioning and Campaign
A Name You Can Feel: “iThink”
Steve Jobs, the best tech marketer of all time, would’ve cringed at “Apple Intelligence.”
Six syllables? Cold, corporate, clunky.
That’s not how he rolled.
Jobs knew the power of a name — how it could instantly tell a story and evoke emotion.
Just look at his greatest hits: iPhone, iPad, iPod, MacBook.
Two to three syllables. Clean. Human. Iconic.
And you think he’d let OpenAI off the hook? Not a chance.
“My competitor’s product names sound like printer models,”
— Ghost of Steve
He’d roast names like GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, o3 mini, o2 mini-high — and then drop something simple, sharp, and deeply Apple:
iThink.
Maybe iAnswer, iChat, or even Genius — but most likely, iThink.
Short, intuitive, emotional. A name you can believe in.
Positioning: A DJ of Information
If Steve Jobs were positioning AI today, he wouldn’t talk about models, tokens, or parameters.
He’d talk about magic.
Apple’s AI wouldn’t feel like technology — it’d feel like intuition.
It would be the kind of assistant that knows what you need before you do.
Like a DJ spinning just the right song at just the right moment…
…or a librarian handing you the perfect book before you even ask.
Jobs would never pitch it as a sci-fi fantasy.
He’d frame it as something elegant and invisible — always there when needed, gone when not.
It wouldn’t interrupt your life; it would enhance it quietly.
In his keynote, you can almost hear the pitch:
“This isn’t artificial intelligence. This is personal intelligence.”
Then comes the demo.
The lights dim. A video rolls — narrated by Jony Ive’s calm, poetic voice.
We watch “iThink” help a family plan their dream trip, remind a dad of his daughter’s piano recital, or pull up a forgotten memory at just the right time.
No hype. No flash. Just useful, human-centered moments.
Because for Jobs, it was never about the tech — it was about how the tech made you feel.
Campaign: iThink Different
In a quiet lecture hall at Lunds University, a 30-year-old Steve Jobs said something that today feels eerily prophetic:
“My hope is someday…some student will be able to not only read the words Aristotle wrote but ask Aristotle a question and get an answer.”
— Steve Jobs (at Lunds University, Sweden)
That’s from 1985!
That wasn’t a throwaway line. It was a vision — one that today’s AI landscape is finally capable of bringing to life.
If Steve were here now, he’d build Apple’s entire AI launch around this moment.
Hey Tim Cook: You Should Use the Clip Above for Apple’s New AI Campaign!
But even in his absence, Tim Cook could — and should — use this clip to open the keynote.
A black-and-white Jobs on screen, painting a picture of the future that Apple is about to make real.
OK, back to what Ghost of Steve would have done.
Jobs didn’t market features. He marketed philosophies.
And with Apple’s AI, the philosophy wouldn’t be about artificial intelligence.
It would be about personal intelligence.
The campaign headline?
“iThink Different.”
It’s a natural evolution of Apple’s most iconic slogan — now reimagined for the age of AI.
A statement not just about the product, but about the person using it.
“iThink, therefore I am.”
Jobs would lean into this dual meaning — part Descartes, part defiance.
This isn’t mindless machine learning.
It’s thoughtful, human-centered intelligence that empowers creativity and individuality.
In true Apple fashion, the campaign would tell emotional, real-world stories — not product demos.
A student chats with Aristotle to explore big ideas.
A grandparent uses iThink to revisit forgotten memories.
A child learns about the planets with Yoda or Luke as their guide
The AI wouldn’t be the star — the user would.
Jobs would remind us:
“Technology, when it’s done right, disappears.”
And finally, the screen would fade to white. Just black text.
“iThink. Only on Apple.”
P.S.: OpenAI’s Quiet Power Move
I’ve been tough on OpenAI’s naming conventions — and deservedly so.
GPT-4o, o3-mini, o2 mini-high… come on.
But credit where it’s due: they’ve made a big move that’s gone surprisingly under the radar.
In November, OpenAI quietly acquired the domain name Chat.com from Hubspot co-founer Dharmesh Shah — likely for $15.5 mil. in OpenAI stock+.
Dharmesh had bought Chat.com just a few months earlier (brokered by my friends Andrew Miller and Larry Fischer of Hilco Digital.
So yes, there’s a good chance that ChatGPT could be rebranded to Chat.com, or simply “Chat.”
That would be a huge upgrade — cleaner, simpler, more memorable.
But even then, Steve Jobs would probably smirk and say:
“Nice name. Still sounds like a feature.
iThink? That’s a movement.”
2) The Content: Licensed, Loved, and Locked Down
The iTunes Playbook for AI (Impossible Deals)
If Steve Jobs were launching Apple’s AI today, he’d go back to one of his greatest hits: the iTunes Music Store.
In 2003, Jobs convinced the major record labels to do the unthinkable — license their music, legally, digitally, and affordably.
At the time, the industry was in chaos. Piracy was rampant. Napster had broken the business model. Jobs didn’t fight it — he offered a better way.
“We believe that 80% of the people stealing stuff don't want to be; there's just no legal alternative. So we said, 'Let's create a legal alternative to this.' Everybody wins.” — Steve Jobs (source: Digital Music News)
He’d use the same blueprint for AI.
Instead of scraping content from creators and media companies, Jobs would strike impossible-seeming deals.
He’d strike AI Content Licensing Deals — from journalists, filmmakers, educators, and studios — and integrate it seamlessly into Apple’s ecosystem.
He might even buy a major content company like Disney (one of 32 AI/Media deals I predict in “The Next Wave of AI & Media Deals”.
Because Apple’s AI wouldn’t just be smart — it would be authorized.
AI You Can Trust: Built on Real Sources, Not Scrapes
Jobs wouldn’t just sign the deals — he’d make trust the product.
While rivals lean on scraped data and black-box models, Apple’s AI would be transparent by design.
He’d jab the various LLMs getting sued for stealing content:
“People don’t want a plagiarizing robot – they just want information conveniently.”
Ask it a question, and it wouldn’t just give you an answer — it would tell you where the answer came from.
“From The New York Times, April 3rd, 3:42 p.m.”
“Based on Britannica, 2022 edition, with Oxford updates.”
That’s Jobs’ kind of simplicity: useful, honest, and clean.
He’d stand on stage and draw the line with one sentence:
“Our AI doesn’t guess. It cites.”
Then he’d pause, smile, and add:
“Apple’s AI is not a black box spitting out dubious facts — but grounded in the best knowledge of humanity, from the pages of The New York Times to the archives of Oxford.”
This wouldn’t just restore trust for users — it would be a lifeline for publishers, creators, and educators.
Finally, a model that respects rights — and elevates original voices.
Disney, NY Times, and Beyond: A Story-First, Licensed Future
This is where the Jobs magic would shine — not in engineering alone, but in narrative imagination.
Apple’s AI wouldn’t just answer questions.
It would tell stories.
It would teach, explain, and engage — with licensed characters and trusted media brands.
Imagine:
Woody narrating a Wild West history lesson.
Moana guiding a geography lesson on Pacific islands.
A sports fan asking, “Who has the most triple-doubles in NBA history?” and hearing it from a digital Stephen A. or Scott Van Pelt.
Jobs wouldn’t see this as a novelty.
He’d see it as the next interface for storytelling — where content becomes conversational, contextual, and personalized.
“This isn’t about scraping content. It’s about creating magic with permission.”
3) The Product: Integrated and Not Selling People)
Ambient Intelligence: Help That Just Appears
Jobs never believed in technology that screamed for attention.
He believed the best products were the ones you barely noticed — because they just worked.
Apple’s AI would follow that philosophy to the letter.
Imagine your iPhone, Mac, or Apple Watch offering subtle, perfectly-timed support without being asked.
iThink might recognize you're heading into a meeting and prep your notes.
Or you open your Photos app and it gently surfaces a forgotten memory, perfectly timed for your anniversary.
This isn’t just smart tech.
It’s empathetic tech — always present when needed, invisible when not.
Jobs would call it what he always called Apple’s best ideas:
“Almost magical.”
On-Device by Design: Privacy Isn’t a Feature — It’s a Right
While rivals race to the cloud, Jobs would double down on what Apple does best: keeping your data yours.
Apple’s AI wouldn’t beam your information to some distant server farm — it would process everything right on your device.
Powered by the Secure Enclave chip, your AI profile would be encrypted, private, and under your control.
iThink would learn your context — that you’re a photographer, or a night owl, or planning a trip to Italy — but that understanding would live with you, not Apple.
And Jobs would say it plainly:
“Our AI doesn’t need to snoop to be smart. It works for you — not the other way around.”
No Ads, No Tracking, No Selling People
Jobs always insisted that Apple’s business was building great products — not selling people’s data.
He’d draw a bold line here, too.
No behavioral targeting.
No algorithmic ad placements.
No surveillance capitalism baked into your assistant.
Just intelligence that serves the user — not the advertiser.
Steve Would Torch Google and Facebook on Privacy.
He’d jab the big boys here and say something like:
“Our AI doesn’t need to sell your life to deliver answers.”
or
“While other tech giants chase ad revenue, Apple’s AI chases trust.”
That’s the Jobs difference:
Apple’s business is building great products — not selling people.
One More Thing
Just when the keynote seems to be wrapping up, the lights dim. The room goes quiet.
Jobs steps forward.
“There’s one more thing.”
And with that, he reveals Apple’s AI future — personal, intelligent, and bold enough to challenge the industry’s biggest players.
Siri Retires, iThink Begins
He smiles.
“Siri’s graduating — and she’s off to a well-deserved retirement.”
In her place?
iThink — Apple’s new AI brain.
It’s smarter, more contextual, and woven into every Apple device.
iThink doesn’t wait for commands — it learns your rhythm, anticipates your needs, and respects your boundaries.
“It helps without asking. And disappears when it’s done.”
‘Goodbye Google Search
Then comes the mic drop:
“Starting today, Apple will no longer use Google Search.”
He adds, almost casually:
“I never liked sending iPhone users to pages full of ads.”
He’d add:
With iThink now powering all search, answers are direct, sourced, and ad-free.
No SEO traps. No tracking. No fluff.
Just signal.
iSee: The Next Interface
And just when you think he’s done — he raises the stakes again.
“What if your glasses could truly see you?”
Introducing iSee — a platform of AI-powered glasses and contact lenses, built in partnership with Johnson & Johnson’s ACUVUE (the #1 maker of contacts in the world).
With iSee, Apple isn’t just enhancing your vision. It’s enhancing your awareness.
Look at a friend → iSee whispers their name and birthday.
Glance at a restaurant → reviews appear discreetly.
Hear a song → it queues instantly.
Your calendar, music, reminders — all flowing seamlessly across iPhone, Watch, Mac, and now, iSee.
All processed locally. Never sent to the cloud.
“We built glasses that see everything — but share nothing.”
The Final Moment
The screen fades to black. Then, a new video begins:
A child walking under the stars with a parent.
A woman navigating a crowded city with calm confidence.
A student whispering a question in class.
A blind grandmother trying iSee for the first time, as her daughter and grandson walk into the room.
She smiles. Her eyes fill with tears.
Voiceover: “iSee the world differently.”
Final Takeways
For Content Owners
Steve Jobs would’ve seen AI as a new way to license and love content — not steal it. He’d strike bold deals with publishers, educators, and studios, just like he did with the music industry for iTunes. So if you own valuable content, now’s the time to act. AI needs what you’ve built. Go secure the deal. Make sure your voice is part of the next interface — and that you get paid fairly for it.
For AI Execs
Jobs would say: don’t just launch AI — craft it. Don’t just talk features — tell a story. You have a rare opportunity in AI: to lead with empathy, elegance, and ethics. To build AI that honors creators, cites real sources, and keeps user data private. The company that does this best won’t just build the smartest AI, they’ll build the one people love. Tim Cook and Apple are a natural fit here. But, if not, it’s a golden opportunity for a new Jobsian-led AI company.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Creator & Host of Media & the Machine
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You are helping to save our kids :)
Thx, Rosicky. I'm glad you feel the article brought Steve Jobs back to life!