Brilliant. If, however, it isn't cognition that needs to be fully understood, but learning and meta-learning, then we could theoretically have an 'and then ther

Brilliant. If, however, it isn't cognition that needs to be fully understood, but learning and meta-learning, then we could theoretically have an 'and then there was light' scenario that just speeds right out of the gate. This case is dissimilar from your examples in that AI could alter itself, it could in some ways be considered alive, if not obviously alive. I think we need to soberly look at the fine details with our collective perspectives, observe the sociocultural response, and gauge our best course of action. Perhaps progress should sometimes be stopped. The effects of the atomic bomb and its research are the very foundations of this world, AI has contemporary magnitude, and could alter the game even more significantly. It is my guess that paradigm shifts in human consciousness have quite unpredictable effects.