On Steve Jobs and AI Agents
The next stage is going to be computers as 'agents.' In other words, it will be as if there's a little person inside that box who starts to anticipate what you want. —Steve Jobs, 1984
In 1984, Steve Jobs envisioned a future where computers wouldn't just take commands—they'd anticipate our needs, like “a little person in that box.”
He was off by a few years, but agents are exactly where we are today. Jobs seemed to be framing this stage as a shift in the relationship we have with technology, not just capabilities.
Maybe it's this relationship shift with technology that's making so many uncomfortable?
Written by a creative technologist, photographer, and an evolving human living in Japan—enhanced (and tangled) by technology.