The global AI race has entered a new, existential stage, with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appealing for the industry to “slow down” on September 14, a call seconded by executives of other AI giants, after which AI-linked stocks tumbled, while President Trump dismissed calls to increase controls on AI as a “sick conspiracy” and the UN Security Council prepared to hold a meeting on AI. Global AI investment reached $581 billion in 2025 and is on pace to exceed $1 trillion in 2026, with the United States capturing over 79% of global startup funding and U.S. private AI investment skyrocketing to $286 billion in 2025, followed by China’s $12.4 billion in private AI investment for 2025 and some $184 billion deployed by state-run guidance funds into tech firms, the UK’s $4.5 billion in private AI investments, and Canada’s $2.4 billion pledge and India’s $1.25 billion project. Last year, ex-OpenAI employee Daniel Kokotajlo reportedly spooked Vice President JD Vance with “AI 2027,” and in July his nonprofit, AI Futures Project, published “AI 2040: Plan A,” which recommends an international deal that delays the development of AI and is predicated on the world’s two AI superpowers agreeing on radical transparency. To contain potential existential risks, Amodei has proposed a three-step framework in