Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, said that humans will most likely become the pets of robots in the future.
Wozniak made the comments at a recently held technology conference, where he said that the thought of having robots with artificial intelligence taking care of everything was initially a scary one for him. The idea of robots being made in charge evokes images from science fiction movies where cyborgs wipe out most of the human race to become the dominant inhabitants of the planet.
However, the thought is now a comforting one for him.
Wozniak said during the Freescale Technology Forum 2015 held in Austin, Texas that, hundreds of years into the future when robots have been placed in charge, robots will be treating humans like dogs.
"It's actually going to turn out really good for humans," Wozniak said, adding that it will take hundreds of years before robots with artificial intelligence will be advanced enough to take care of humans in such a way.
Wozniak surmised that by then, robots will be so smart that they will know that they have to maintain nature in good condition, with humans being part of that nature.
According to Wozniak, this line of thinking allowed him to get over his fear of humans being replaced in the world by computers. He added that he believes the robots will be helping humans as opposed to eliminating them because humans are the "gods originally."
Wozniak also discussed the Internet of Things at the event, stating that he likes the idea but warned that connected devices placed within the boundaries of a home carry the potential to become dangerous to humans.
Wozniak is not the only prominent leader in the technology industry that has expressed his views on the future interaction between humans and robots. In an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk issued a warning that humans will be used by robots as pets once the machines achieve a higher form of artificial intelligence: "superintelligence."
Superintelligence is also a cause of concern for Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who stated that while it will be useful at first, the artificial intelligence in robots will one day develop enough to prove to be a problem for humanity.
Photo: Ed Schipul | Flickr
