Machines won’t replace human touch: Apple co-founder

An attractive man and woman planning vacation overseas

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has reassured travel agents they’ll never be replaced by machines.

Per Travel Market Report, Wozniak told over 2000 agents and suppliers at the Travel Leaders Network International Conference that “the equipment we build is always going to be built to help us”.

Wozniak talked everything from the future of computing to the value of hard work and why the human touch is something machines won’t replace.

“Computers can be taught to learn faster than a human. But learning is not intelligence,” he explained.

“Does a machine ever say, ‘Hmm, what are the problems of the world? What’s something I would like to challenge myself on today?’ No. Only humans do that.

“I think the equipment we build is always going to be built to help us. I don’t fear artificial intelligence.”

Per Travel Market Report, Wozniak shared a few more insights with the travel agents in the crowd.

These included:

On what’s ahead in computing:

“Machines getting more powerful isn’t the important thing anymore. We’re kind of at the limit of that.

“We have to work on software assistance, understanding humans, being more like a human––being more helpful in the right ways is the future.”

On applying yourself to work you love:

Wozniak designed the Apple II computer before he could even spring for his own computer.

“I handwrote the entire thing, the program on one side of the page, and the 1s and 0s on the other side of the page.

“To put yourself so deeply into something that is all yours, your creation, that’s when it turns out excellent, especially if you appreciate simplicity and elegance.”

On the innovation process:

“Generally I would have a goal and I would know how to take the lumber and build up to that goal. That doesn’t mean everything I did was worth money, but they were learning steps.

“Now the next time I want to create something out of nothing, and it’s just a dream, now you have a starting point, and you get better and better as you go through life.”

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