Today, while walking to a client meeting, I was approached by a man.
Man: Are you interested in talking about God and such?
Me: No, not really. I am more interested in making money.
Man: Is it not strange that the Large Hadron Collider recreates circumstances similar to those during the Big Bang, the creation of our universe. The Hadron Collider was built by intelligent people, then, why shouldn't there be intelligence behind the Big Bang?
Me: I am interested in artificial intelligence and hope to one day build a machine with an intelligence surpassing that of humans. However, I would not want the machine to care about its creator. I would want it to solve problems.
Man: Surely a machine would have no conscience, as man, as is witnessed by his enactment of the laws of society.
Me: Who says that man has conscience, that it is not an illusion? Anyway, I think a machine could be programmed to have conscience. ...And when I look at the tax legislation in this country, I really cannot see that as an expression of conscience.