Steve Jobs Predicted ChatGPT in 1985, And His Vision Is Finally Real
In 1985, Steve Jobs imagined students asking Aristotle questions through a computer, and today, we’re living that reality.
In 1985, during a dinner conversation, Steve Jobs shared a bold idea. He didn’t talk about the next Macintosh or the future of Apple. Instead, he imagined a time when technology would let us talk to the minds of history.
“My hope is someday, when the next Aristotle is alive, we can capture the underlying worldview of that Aristotle in a computer,” he said. “And someday, some student will be able to not only read the words Aristotle wrote, but ask Aristotle a question, and get an answer.”
At the time, it sounded like science fiction. But in 2025, with AI tools like ChatGPT, it’s starting to sound like everyday life.
From Oil to Ideas: A New Kind of Energy
Jobs didn’t just talk about smarter machines. He compared the rise of computing to the petrochemical revolution, when oil transformed transportation and industry. Now, he said, we’re entering a new era powered by free intellectual energy.
“It’s crude, very crude,” Jobs admitted. “But it’s getting more refined year after year.”
He believed that computers, though limited at the time, were destined to become tools that unlock the world’s best thinking. Just like oil fueled cars, ideas would soon fuel minds.
“We are entering another revolution,” he said. “And it will forever change our education processes.”
Fast-Forward to 2025: We’re Talking to the Past
Today, AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Character.AI have taken that dream and run with it.
You can talk to simulated versions of Einstein, Mandela, or even Jobs himself. AI bots trained on their writings now respond in their voices, with their tone, quoting their ideas.
One Reddit user reflected on this beautifully:
“These fake personas won’t be able to learn… but still, it might be the best way humanity has ever managed to transmit knowledge and wisdom since the invention of books.”
Jobs hoped future students would ask questions and get answers from the great minds of history. And now, many of us already are, whether through AI tutors, custom GPTs, or private bots trained on thinkers like Alan Watts or Osho.
But Is It Really Aristotle?
Here’s where the excitement meets reality.
While AI can replicate speech patterns and ideas, some argue it misses the soul behind the words. One Redditor, roleplaying as Aristotle, wrote:
“A machine can replicate what it has been fed, but it cannot grasp the nature of human reasoning… which lies in the final cause of one’s life.”
This sentiment echoes a key question: Are we just mimicking great minds, or are we truly learning from them?
Still, even the best books can’t answer your questions. AI might not be Aristotle, but it can help you understand him in a way no static text ever could.
Jobs Saw the Inevitable
Jobs described this future not as a wild guess, but as a historical imperative.
Just as the car had to follow the invention of the engine, tools like ChatGPT feel like the natural next step after decades of computing. Back in 1985, he believed that even a slow year for tech couldn’t stop what was coming:
“There is such momentum behind this that it will happen,” he said. “It will permeate and change forever our education processes.”
He was off on the timeline. He predicted 5 to 20 years. But the direction was spot on.
Would Jobs Approve of AI in 2025?
Most likely yes, with caveats.
Jobs loved elegance and purpose. He believed technology should feel like magic, but it also had to be useful, honest, and human.
Today’s AI can do amazing things. But it also makes mistakes, struggles with logic, and sometimes just gets things plain wrong. Jobs would probably celebrate the concept and then challenge engineers to polish it until it truly works for everyone.
Ironically, Apple has lagged behind in the AI race. But its founder’s dream now lives in the open-source tools, research labs, and startup experiments pushing AI into new frontiers.
The Future He Described Is Ours Now
Jobs wasn’t the first to imagine talking to machines. Thinkers like Alan Turing, Vannevar Bush, and sci-fi authors beat him to it. But Jobs made the idea personal and relatable.
He didn’t say “natural language interface.” He said, “Ask Aristotle a question.”
One Reddit user summarized it perfectly:
“He wasn’t just talking about AI assistants. He hoped to capture the essence, the mind, of a person forever.”
And that’s exactly what makes this moment so remarkable.
Final Thought
We’re not quite talking to real minds yet. But we’re closer than Jobs ever could’ve known in that quiet dinner back in 1985.
AI won’t replace human wisdom, but it can bring us closer to it than ever before.
So the next time you wonder what Aristotle might say about life, courage, or justice, just ask. We now have the tools to answer.
