But... Won’t nations develop AI treaties?

In a 2017 press conference, Vladimir Putin stated: “The country that becomes the leader in AI will rule the world.”

The US, China, and Russia are in a race to develop AGI, but unlike the atomic race, this time we might not see an international agreement to halt AGI development.

The 1967 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons had the advantage that any attempt to deploy radioactive material or conduct nuclear tests would trigger immediate security alarms, monitored by satellite from major countries.

We will likely create global organizations seeking to establish international policies and regulations—imagine a UNITED NATIONS OF AI ETHICS.

However, this time around, things could be very different. We may have no way of knowing if AGI is being secretly developed in the plush, stylish offices of a Silicon Valley startup or in an unassuming, snow-covered warehouse in Siberia.

Paradoxically, in this new arms race, being the first to achieve AGI might not be ideal. There’s a counterintuitive argument that it could be preferable to have AI technology leaked to a rival country as a Trojan horse.

Without a way to control AGI, it remains unclear whether the first country to develop and deploy it will be the winner ...or the first loser.