Stephen Downes

If we were to start with a precise and careful critique of AI, Ayn Rand would not be the best place to start. Yet Hollis Robbins, without irony, quotes Rand at length in this article, arguing "Rand understood that it's easy to receive ideas from others without thought. Her whole project is urging people to think for themselves, to stop being second-handers and look at the world directly." There's nothing wrong with looking at the world directly, but it is foolish for any person to believe they have so uniquely a privileged perspective they can learn nothing from other people. Meanwhile, we're all waiting for generative AI's second act, when models are trained not only on language, but on first-hand experience of the world itself. One doubts that they will become Objectivists as a result.