Manipulation through fear
They need to control, regulate and tax AI so the first line of attack is the sheeple, so tell them the water is going to disappear and everybody will die a slow death of anguish, thirst and drought like never seen. Then evoke terminator apocalypses where drones go rogue and kill half the world. Then send their most likable emissaries with puppy eyes asking for compassion about our children's future
Then they ask for your vote (oh democracy)
In the end all they want is control and money, while keeping their competitors (china) in check, backed by the outrage of the weak majority
Politics as usual, move along
I swear so many people on HN are developing psychosis.
The much simpler solution is that they are building superintelligence, which they think can be used for great good (like curing most death and disease), but it is also a powerful capability that obviously needs to be regulated and is at least somewhat a matter of national security.
But nooo! Surely they are building.... terminator bots!? JFC.