AI demands sober attention and a risk-conscious approach: outcomes, favorable or disastrous, hinge on what we do next.
A risk-conscious strategy is one that tackles the wicked problems of deterrence, nonproliferation, and strategic competition. Deterrence in AI takes the form of Mutual Assured AI Malfunction (MAIM)—today’s counterpart to MAD—in which any state that pursues a strategic monopoly on power can expect a retaliatory response from rivals. To preserve this deterrent and constrain intent, states can expand their arsenal of cyberattacks to disable threatening AI projects. Mutually Assured AI Malfunction