the_writer

What if, assuming that strong AI is indeed possible, the debate becomes not over whether humans consider the AI 'intelligent' in any worthwhile sense, or whether the AI considers humans intelligent. It would be part-amusing, more frightening, if it came to the conclusion we were mere automatons and not worth conversing with. Actually one of my earlier exposures to objectivism (or objectivist-like beliefs) was from reading the forums of transhumanists and people like Max More, who are very much into human advancement and life extension through technology and augmentation. Which is not AI per se, but definitely up a similar alley. The questions for me are what morals we would expect a strong AI to have, whether it would have identifiable personality flaws, or what we would do if it developed beliefs we found repugnant. There's no harm thinking about all this stuff even if we don't personally think strong AI is likely.

Thanks for the explanations Michael, there are several pieces of useful information and a couple of analogies I can relate to in there -- ideas I've had on my mind but which needed confirmation from an external source. Mirror neurons, higher and lower-brain conflict, 40:11,000,000 sensory inputs. To hear the science and research behind the topic is a lot more valuable than mysticism. I don't mind AA, and even before I went in there I understood that group therapy, and not mysticism or procedure, was the effective element in such programs. My own group has a healthy subgroup of atheists who, while not Objectivists by any stretch, have an approach I can relate better to. Anyway, once again, glad to see people here have similar experiences and that an effective program like AA is not dismissed outright -- that would have bothered me.

Seems this thread may be a gateway drug into the Objectivist Living forum for some, and I'm the latest. Hi to anyone who's still here after all these years. I too was wondering how to reconcile the AA principles with an Objectivist mindset, googled it, and landed here. Everyone on the outside seems to have an opinion about AA one way or another, and I managed to raise a few eyebrows in an AA meeting by quoting Ayn Rand. I'm still less than a few months into their program, and haven't come close to figuring out what AA is all about yet. Ask five people there and you'll get five different opinions. It's quite religious, yet also full of fervent atheists. I can tell they play the 'god as you understand him' card in the hope you'll eventually come around to their understanding. All I can say for sure is it's great to sit in a room full of fellow travelers who know exactly what you are, and at least some of what you're struggling with. I'm also more of a loner though, and find the social side difficult (even a bit annoying) sometimes. Might have to spend some time in places like here to hear some slightly different perspectives.