THE WATCHFUL INTELLIGENCE OF TIM COOK

APPLE INTELLIGENCE IS NOT A PLAY ON "AI," THE CEO INSISTS. BUT IT IS HIS PLAY FOR RELEVANCE IN ALL AREAS, FROM EMAIL AUTO-COMPLETES TO APPS THAT SAVE LIVES.

- STEVEN LEVY

EVERY TIME I visit the Apple Park campus, my mind flashes to a tour I took months before construction was finished, when there was dust on the terrazzo floors and mud where lush vegetation now flourishes. My guide was Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. With a proprietor's pride, he ushered me through the $5 billion circular colossus, explaining that committing to the new campus was a "100-year decision." Today I am returning to the Ringpulsing with energy seven years after it opened to see Cook again. The tech world is at an inflection point. The mightiest companies will either stumble or secure their dominance for decades.

We are here to discuss Cook's big move in this high-stakes environment: the impending release of Apple Intelligence, the company's first significant offering in the white-hot field of generative AI. Some consider it belated. All year, Apple's competitors have been gaining buzz, dazzling investors, and dominating the news cycle with their chatbots, while the world's most valuable company (as I write) was showing off an expensive, bulky augmented-reality headset. Apple has to get AI right. Corporations, after all, are less likely than buildings to stand proud for a century.

Cook didn't panic. Like his predecessor Steve Jobs, he doesn't believe that first is best. "Classic Apple," as he puts it, enters a cacophonous field of first-movers and, with a strong grasp of novelty versus utility, unveils products that make the latest technologies relatable and even sexy. Think back to how the iPod rethought digital music.

It wasn't the first MP3 player, but its compactness, ease of use, and integration with an online store thrilled people with a new way to consume their tunes.