Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Shares His First Impression of ‘Apple Intelligence’
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak can remember a few occasions when he immediately recognized the value of a new technology. However, Apple’s so-called “Apple Intelligence” software update, released last week, isn’t one of them. “I like to use things for a long time before I really comment on ‘are they good, are they worthwhile,'” said Wozniak during an interview with Bloomberg Television Oct 31. “Once in a while, I can tell right away, but not here.”
Wozniak co-founded Apple in 1976 alongside Steve Jobs and introduced groundbreaking products like the Apple I and Apple II computers. He stepped away from the company in 1985 and remains involved with the company today in a solely ceremonial role. Like other users of Apple’s newer iPhones, iPads and Macs, Wozniak said he recently downloaded 18.1 and has played around with its A.I.-infused capabilities. He experimented with the company’s updated Siri tool by asking it more complicated questions than the voice assistant is used to. His first impression: “Maybe it was better, but I couldn’t tell you for sure,” he told Bloomberg.
Apple Intelligence, which includes enhanced writing tools and photo-editing improvements, is a slim portion of what is expected to come to Apple devices in the next few months, including an integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. While Wozniak might not be blown away by iOS 18.1, he seems approving of the iPhone maker’s cautious approach to A.I. “Apple already shows that it cares so much about the employees and the users, and diversification and not tracking you,” he said. “I think that’s a good sign that Apple is going to pay attention to not taking advantage of you with A.I.”
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Despite recognizing an ongoing “A.I. bandwagon,” Wozniak said he largely avoids large language models due to his concerns over their accuracy. “I don’t want to be surprised. I want to think about everything that I read or hear, really think it out, understand it and express it in my own words,” he said. “That’s A.I., ‘Actual Intelligence.'”
This isn’t the first time the entrepreneur has vocalized his worries about A.I. Besides having previously stated that the technology won’t be able to convey the same human emotion in writing, he has warned about the need to label A.I. content more clearly to avoid potential scams from bad actors. Wozniak was also one of the more than 1,000 signees last year who backed a letter calling for a six-month pause on A.I. development in light of its existential risks.
Wozniak said Apple needs to focus on testing and suggested that A.I. models cite sources and references when used as a search engine. “I wish it had citations that you could click on,” he said, noting that they should mirror how citations are used in scientific journals.
The Apple co-founder additionally highlighted some uneasiness surrounding the company’s reliance on iPhones, which currently make up about half of the tech company’s revenue. “I do recognize the problem of iPhone being kind of the major product,” said Wozniak, who noted that Apple historically has experienced similar instances of becoming a “one-product company” with the likes of the Apple II and Macintosh. “That is a concern that I do agree with—you’ve got to keep your eye on it.”