The simplicity of the statement "If we don't do it, someone else will." and thinking behind it eventually means someone will do just that unless otherwise prevented by some regulatory function.

Simply put, with the ever increasing hardware speeds we were dumping out for other purposes this day would have come sooner than later. We're talking about only a year or two really.

But every time, it doesn't have to happen yet. And when you're talking about the potential deaths of millions, or billions, why be the one who spawns the seed of destruction in their own home country? Why not give human brotherhood a chance? People have, and do, hold back. You notice the times they don't, and the few who don't -- you forget the many, many more who do refrain from doing what's wrong.

"We have to nuke the Russians, if we don't do it first, they will"

"We have to clone humans, if we don't do it, someone else will"

"We have to annex Antarctica, if we don't do it, someone else will"

Cloning? Bioweapons? Ever larger nuclear stockpiles? The world has collectively agreed not to do something more than once. AI would be easier to control than any of the above. GPUs can't be dug out of the ground.