"Fear of AI disruption spreads in concentric circles. Outright frenzy inside the labs becomes intense distress in San Fr...

"Fear of AI disruption spreads in concentric circles. Outright frenzy inside the labs becomes intense distress in San Francisco becomes palpable anxiety on the East Coast — and once the sentiment has crossed an ocean, there’s only mild discomfort left when it washes upon the shores of the other side.An honest appraisal of the situation, however, should suggest the opposite response: It’s the employees of the labs, rich in equity and embedded in the most dynamic labor market there ever was, that should feel the least apprehension. Though the institutions of American government face much more immediate disruptions, it is the periphery of AI development — the other 193 countries in the world without a domestic frontier AI developer to tax and regulate — that confront the biggest risks to their economic welfare and physical security.These risks aren’t resolved even if the AI built in San Francisco is particularly safe or particularly aligned. In fact, the risk may cut the other way: The be...