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Venture Beat, Science Recorder

Steve Wozniak on Humanity’s Grim Outlook: Computers Will ‘Get Rid of Humans’ — or Make Us Their Pets

Mar 24, 2015  •  Post A Comment

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak isn’t feeling optimistic about the future of the human race, noting in a recent interview that computers will present a serious threat in the future, Venture Beat reports.

Wozniak’s comments came during an interview with The Australian Financial Review. “Woz thinks human beings might eventually be made into pets by our future overlords, the computers,” the Venture Beat story notes.

Wozniak is quoted saying: “Computers are going to take over from humans, no question.”

He added: “Like people including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have predicted, I agree that the future is scary and very bad for people.”

And: “If we build these devices to take care of everything for us, eventually they’ll think faster than us and they’ll get rid of the slow humans to run companies more efficiently.”

Science Recorder quotes Wozniak saying: “Will we be the gods? Will we be the family pets? Or will we be ants that get stepped on? I don’t know about that. But when I got that thinking in my head about if I’m going to be treated in the future as a pet to these smart machines … well I’m going to treat my own pet dog really nice.”

In the recent interview, Wozniak expressed concern in particular about artificial intelligence.

Science Recorder notes that Musk and Hawking “are part of a group of experts known as the Future of Life Institute, who recently drafted an open letter warning of the potential damages of artificial intelligence such as leaving millions unemployed in the short term.”

Wozniak is a relatively recent convert on the evils of AI, after years of downplaying fears that the rapid evolution of technology might pose a danger to humanity. “He now realizes that some of the predictions are coming true and that human-like computers that could even mimic human consciousness would be a huge threat,” Science Recorder reports.

steve wozniakSteve Wozniak

2 Comments

  1. This is interesting and probably true, and if it happens, it will be because shortsighted, greedy people will see it as a way to generate a lot of money. At first…. Then, currency becomes worthless as, if I may quote the “Avengers”: “the ant has no quarrel with the boot.”

  2. #thanksObama

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