Well its quite simple. If you believe that ASI is the most powerful weapon we can develop, akin to nukes, you would not want your enemy to poses that. If CCP reaches ASI before we do, they could just run it forever in reasoning analysis mode until it discovers and makes a plan to completely take down America (maybe the grid, cybersecurity, all the embedded spy technology they already have in America, or targetted misiles/drones). It could completely once and for all decapitate America in a single shot and solidify China as the undisputed global power. China is already very powerful. Arguably, one of the only real global competition we have.
I would also add that this isn’t what “everyone” is worried about. It’s really people from the Karp, Thiel, Summers, and Schmidt circles that fear this as prominently. Most people are fearful of existential risk first and foremost. The gov-heads are thinking of it as a national security risk, and to be fair, they’re not wrong either. It’s just technological warfare. Instead of nuclear weapons, it’s ASI. It can be confusing since they disguise it as “Protecting Western Ideals” and faux claims about how America respects privacy, individualism, and free speech more than China for some reasons unclear to me, but really its about national power.
Well its quite simple. If you believe that ASI is the most powerful weapon we can develop, akin to nukes, you would not want your enemy to poses that. If CCP reaches ASI before we do, they could just run it forever in reasoning analysis mode until it discovers and makes a plan to completely take down America (maybe the grid, cybersecurity, all the embedded spy technology they already have in America, or targetted misiles/drones). It could completely once and for all decapitate America in a single shot and solidify China as the undisputed global power. China is already very powerful. Arguably, one of the only real global competition we have.
I would also add that this isn’t what “everyone” is worried about. It’s really people from the Karp, Thiel, Summers, and Schmidt circles that fear this as prominently. Most people are fearful of existential risk first and foremost. The gov-heads are thinking of it as a national security risk, and to be fair, they’re not wrong either. It’s just technological warfare. Instead of nuclear weapons, it’s ASI. It can be confusing since they disguise it as “Protecting Western Ideals” and faux claims about how America respects privacy, individualism, and free speech more than China for some reasons unclear to me, but really its about national power.