Two thoughts. First, and this is touched on at the end of the article but only in a similarly idealistic but not realistic discussion we have about nukes. A Country that prioritize human rights needs to be the first to obtain AGI. If this article were written in the 1940s and everyone k we about nuke development, it would be making the same argument. It’s a valid point but what would the world be like if Germany beat the USA to the punch and developed the first nuke? Second, the article is a little more dramatic than what I envision worst case. Computers cannot exist perpetually without human maintenance in the physical world. It makes a lot of sense to achieve AGI before robotics is advanced and connected enough that humans have no use.

There is no question that AGI presents a substantial risk to humanity. But there are other possibly outcomes like: solving climate change, solving hunger, minimizing war, solving energy demand, curing diseases, etc. In my opinion, AGI is essential to human progress and if countries like the USA put a pause on its development, god help us if a country like Russia gets there first.

That’s not a definition of singularity but it is almost certainly what will cause singularity… I guess you’re right about some people on this sub not knowing what singularity is.