Skip to main content

Computers will soon make us irrelevant, Wozniak warns MSU graduates

steve-wozniak-msu-commencement-speechYesterday afternoon, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak spoke to Michigan State University graduates as he received an honorary doctorate of engineering from MSU for his many accomplishments in the personal computing industry. However, toward the end of his mostly positive commencement speech, he warned graduates that the computers he’s helped create will soon make us irrelevant as a species.

“Every time we invent a computer to do something else, it’s doing our work for us, making ourselves less relevant,” said Wozniak, in his usual upbeat tone. “The cyborgs are winning! The androids are winning!”

Wozniak continued: “Artificial intelligence will in the future become more and more like a real person, like a friend you would want to go and meet. Somebody that can talk to your face; somebody that can understand things [and] knows the kind of jokes you like; [somebody] that knows what sort of things to say depending on how slowly you’re talking then; a real person.”

“One of the things is, you’ve got to have human senses,” continued Wozniak. “How does a computer ever create art, for example, if it can’t sense things that a human understands, like the wind on a beach. Well, our computers have gotten hearing and seeing, they’ve got feeling, touch sensitive; they can sense motion, just like our inner ear. Pretty soon we’re going to have holograms, which are much better than what you call 3D television. We’ve created a new species; no question. We’re creators and, like I said, we’re making ourselves less relevant.”

Strangely, though Wozniak spoke in an upbeat tone, he seemed a bit bothered that his creation, the personal computer, was going to make us all irrelevant. Yet, he seemed joyful and wanted graduates to help computers learn to speak and write poetry. I imagine any creator would have mixed feelings about his creation.

The first portion of the speech, which is embedded below, painted a much less bleak future for the human graduates. The Apple co-founder detailed his own college experiences, being one of the only Silicon Valley pioneers who went back to college, and told encouraged graduates to do things because they’re passionate, not for the cash or fame.

And in the end, The Woz has a simple equation for happiness: H = 3F. It stands for “Happiness equals food, friends, and fun.” Just try to have the fun while we’re still relevant. Oh, and Go Spartans!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Best refurbished laptop deals: How to find cheap used computers
microsoft surface laptop go 2020 on desk

Shopping the best laptop deals can land you some savings, but if it’s an incredibly low price you’re looking for, shopping refurbished is the way to go. Refurbished laptops offer a chance to save big, and you can often find some of yesterday’s best laptops at super cheap prices today. Most refurbished laptops are backed by warranties and reasonable return windows, so you can shop refurbished laptops with some confidence what you’re purchasing will hold up. There are a lot of great refurbished laptop deals out there right now, and they are laptops that make a lot of sense for students or anyone on a tight budget. Below you’ll find links to some of the best places to buy a refurbished laptop.
Best Buy refurbished laptops -- starting at $113
Best Buy's refurbished laptops are -- you guessed it -- Geek Squad Certified and while they may not be free and clear of absolutely all cosmetic scuffs they are still exceptionally clean and always in working order. Some of them even come with additional software like virus tools, streaming access, like Apple TV+, and much more. Of course, the best part is that you can get a premium and fully upgraded model for less, often with more storage, more power, and more features than you would when buying a base model brand new. You've got some great options from Lenovo, Acer, HP, Dell, Gateway, and even Apple to choose from. The cheapest models start around $120 and increase from there. The best way to know what's available is to head over and browse for yourself.

Dell Latitude -- starting at $279
Dell sometimes discounts laptops and machines, for varying reasons, including clearance deals of the week to make way for new stock. That's pretty much the case with Dell's Latitude models with the cheapest coming in around $189 up to $229 and above. There are a lot of different models, each with individual specifications and features, so you'll have to sift through the list, especially if you know what you're looking for already.

Read more
Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450
Marvel's Spider-Man running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Shopping some of the best monitor deals is a good way to save on some extra screen real estate, but if you’re looking for something that can produce a stunning image you should turn your shopping cart toward the OLED monitors. OLED is one of the best picture technologies currently available, and it can create a lifelike image that makes interacting with games, presentations, and creative work much more immersive. The best OLED monitors can run pretty expensive, but that’s what OLED monitor deals are for. If you’re looking for superior picture quality and some ways to save, read onward for more details on the best OLED monitor deals taking place right now.
ViewSonic 15.6-inch VX1655 4K OLED portable monitor — $450, was $500

Getting into the OLED game can be both affordable and portable with the ViewSonic VX1655. It’s a 4K OLED display that’s made to function as either a laptop extension or something to pair with a tablet. It comes in at a super sharp 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 60Hz. This isn’t something you’d want to pair with a gaming PC, but it’s a great little display to keep with you if you do creative work on the run or want some extra screen real estate while working on a tablet at your desk.

Read more
Best monitor deals: Gaming, office, curved, OLED and more
Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor

Whether you prefer to work at one of the best desktop computers, the best laptops, or anything in between, an external monitor can be helpful to add some extra screen real estate. One of the best monitors can even go a long way toward reducing eye strain and creating an immersive digital or gaming experience. While high end monitors can get quite expensive, there are always some impressive monitor deals to shop, and we’ve tracked them all down. Reading onward you’ll find what we feel are the best monitor deals, whether you’re shopping for 4K monitors, gaming monitors, ultrawide monitors, or more general monitors meant for all-purpose users.
Best monitor deals

The following deals represent a best-of of the deals below. They're selected to give a mixture of prices, styles, and levels of discount. If you don't see something you like, don't worry, as the following sections will have plenty more deals for you to choose from. However, this is a highly recommended place to start:

Read more