AI Isn’t Apple’s Strength, OpenAI 'First Real Competitor' To iPhone Maker, Says John Sculley

OpenAI has emerged as what former Apple CEO John Sculley refers to as Apple’s “first real competitor” in several decades. While speaking at the Zeta Live conference, Sculley remarked that Apple has been unable to thrive in the field of artificial intelligence and that OpenAI is currently leading the way. 

At the conference, Sculley discussed the collaboration between former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI to create the next generation of devices powered by AI.

“He’s the one who actually designed and built the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad…If there’s anyone who is probably going to be able to bring that dimension to the LLM, in this case OpenAI, it’s probably going to be Jony Ive, working with Sam Altman,” Sculley said.

Sculley noted that Apple has fallen behind other technology companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Amazon regarding regular product updates and innovation centred around AI. Citing examples such as the delayed AI overhaul of the Siri voice assistant, Sculley said these are all indicators that the company has not kept pace with the changes brought about by AI. 

“AI has not been a particular strength for them,” Sculley remarked during the conference.

Notably, Apple has been using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to address many of the more intricate questions posed by users to Siri. Reports have also surfaced about Apple looking towards Google in the future to enhance its updated Siri features.

Sculley also recommended that whoever takes over from Tim Cook as Apple’s next CEO should be capable of guiding Apple into an AI-centric future. In his opinion, the forthcoming leader must navigate Apple through a transition where AI agents, rather than traditional apps, shape the user experience. 

The Cupertino-based tech major had been a pioneer of apps in the past, famously popularising the slogan “There’s an app for that” in its iPhone commercials.

However, Sculley thinks that Apple needs to think beyond apps and about AI. He argued that software centred around apps sells tools, whereas a shift to AI agents would push the industry towards subscription-based models — earning revenue as long as users rely on AI.

Sculley contended that Apple must evolve from the “apps era” to what he terms the “agentic era,” where intelligent AI agents function on users’ behalf without the need for numerous separate applications.

“In the agentic era, we don’t need a lot of apps; it can all be done with smart agents,” he added.