no, I'm pretty sure they were reacting to AI.
SAM having acess to physiology to act as a very advanced performance drug is NOT synthesis as its described by the catalyst. pathfinder is NOT a combination of technology and organic anymore then any other person using technology in any way. a person with advanced limb replacement that reacts to neural impulses to act as a living limb - something we already have, is not synthesis. symbiotic relationship does NOT require a persons essence to be merge of melded or whatever bullshit they are calling it via magical catalyst wave
we.
are.
debating.
your. headcanon.
its fine to have a headcanon. I have plenty of my own, small and large.
your headcanons allow your to headwave to insanely creepy factors of synthesis as its shown in game. that's fine. but. its. your. headcanons.
becasue guess what? EVEN IF YOU GO WITH YOUR HEADCANON THAT PATHFINDER IS THE SAME AS REAPER SYNTHESIS, THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL GIVING CONSENT TO HAVE AI HAVE ACESS TO THEM. ITS NOT THE ENTIRE GALAXY HAVING THIS THRUST ON THEM WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A WARNING. you can NOT handwave this lack of consent.
and before you say anything - entire galaxy united to DESTROY the reapers. everyone fighting in that war, KNEW that they might die in it, that destruction WILL happen. when Shepard destroys the Reapers, they are not violating anyone's consent, they are doing exactly as they all agreed - ending that war by removing reapers out of the equation. when Shepard controls the reapers as dumb as that whole premise is, Catalyst being representative of the consciousness of all Reapers (according to him) gives consent to control by offering it and agreeing to it as one of the possible outcomes. only synthesis is a violation of consent.