Wozniak said AI tools should be able to cite their sources, and he encouraged the packed, 1,000-seat auditorium to keep humans at the center of technological development.
“I’m cautious of AI, and I just want something that feels to me like a real person, with a heart and soul and feelings, that cries when a dog gets rescued,” Wozniak said.
In response to a pre-submitted question from a Lehigh senior about how to use AI “to improve our daily life without becoming crippled by our need for it,” Wozniak advised the audience to “just be aware and be skeptical” and to “use it well, but make sure you learn.”
Wozniak advised university staff to test students in-person to assess their knowledge, saying it’s difficult to know how many students are “just trying to get by without being smart” by using AI.
Lehigh University President Joseph Helble, who moderated the talk, said school staff and students are learning how to make AI an “intellectual sparring partner.” Wozniak endorsed that idea, saying the technology can be a good way to generate ideas.
However, users need to acknowledge that “AI doesn’t really understand things or what they are — it just analyzes,” Wozniak said.
AI tools aren’t yet capable of displacing human coders, Wozniak said, saying tasks are often left incomplete.
“AI is like a reporter,” Wozniak said, “and the human being has to be the editor.”
Wozniak also called out the AI industry for the proliferation of deepfakes and hallucinations that have made it difficult to trust the output of chatbots.
Users should be able to click on any sentence a chatbot generates and find out exactly where the information came from, Wozniak said, adding that he doubts tech companies will be willing to provide that much transparency because of the amount of “illegality” involved in the methods used to train Large Language Models, the AI platforms that predict text.
In addition to asking how best to use and regulate AI, audience members wondered how the emerging technology will affect the labor market.
James Goodwin, a Lehigh freshman majoring in computer science and engineering with an interest in game design, asked for job advice for aspiring software engineers and game developers who “fear for finding jobs” because of AI.
“Doing things on your own” is the key to advancing in the field, Wozniak said, while also emphasizing that surrounding yourself with friends who have similar personalities will make work more enjoyable.
Wozniak spoke fondly of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, saying the two bonded over Bob Dylan records and that he respected Jobs’ “hippy” vibe.
“Still the voice I have in my head that I like the best: Steve Jobs Zero,” Wozniak said, referencing his early days collaborating with Jobs.
Before meeting Jobs, Wozniak said he bonded with other “electronics kids” in San Jose who enjoyed tinkering with spare parts kept in mayonnaise jars.
Having progressed from winning science fair prizes to earning entry in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Wozniak said what he wanted most from his career was to earn the respect of fellow engineers and to find happiness that isn’t grounded in money or accomplishments.
“The day I die, I want to be laughing about pranks I pulled,” Wozniak said.
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