This is the first ad I saw about Apple Intelligence…
…and it is a shame. It is an unthinkable letdown.
Not to mention this one.
Apple’s latest advertisement for its Apple Intelligence features represents more than just a marketing misstep—it’s a betrayal of the company’s foundational principles. As I watched their first AI-focused commercial, I felt a deep sense of disappointment that goes beyond mere creative criticism. This ad is an insult to Apple, what it represents and what made it revolutionary in the first place.
Steve Jobs famously described computers as “bicycles for the mind,” tools that amplify human potential rather than replace human effort. The early Macintosh, the iPhone, and the iPad weren’t created to make us lazy—they were designed to empower creators, developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. They were instruments of possibility, not crutches for mediocrity.
Yet here we are, watching Apple promote AI features through the lens of inattention and shortcuts. Humans can get really really lazy but this is not Apple was about. It’s about accelerating progress, it’s about creation. Instead of showcasing how Apple Intelligence could help an entrepreneur managing multiple companies synthesize complex data, or how it could assist teachers in crafting better lesson plans, they’ve chosen to celebrate distraction and superficial engagement. These examples would celebrate human achievement while acknowledging AI’s role as an enabler, not a replacement. The advertisement glorifies the very behaviour that technology should help us overcome.
Apple is the company that once told us to “Think Different,” challenged the status quo, and consistently pushed the boundaries of human-computer interaction. Their historical advertising didn’t just sell products—it inspired us to create, to innovate, to excel. The iconic “1984” commercial didn’t promise to make life easier; it promised to set our potential free and the first 4-minute opening of their event last 12 Sept 2023 is a touching example of how their technologies impact our lives.
For a company that built its reputation on “making the best, not the most,” the recent Apple Intelligence advertisement suggests otherwise. Apple, you taught us to think different. It’s time to live up to your own standards.
