Let's assume for a second, that a US-based company successfully creates the first AI that is able to self-learn and improve (although painfully slowly at first) and has the potential to eventually overcome all sorts of feats that scientists have fantasized forever of. What would be the political climate that follows if word were to spread out?
What would China or Russia think about the US now that the most important invention in humanity lies in the hands of a competitor? AI is a winner takes all marvel capable of waging perfect war, impenetrable encryption, scientific revolutions, disrupting global order, everything. Would they send in spies, hitmen, and/or thieves? Would they immediately plan on nuking the country? It may sound silly but in the face of such a priceless invention, any DARPA-like agency would genocide to be in control of it.
What would the US government, with its insatiable hunger to weaponize and lust to always be ahead of everyone, think of it? Would they kidnap, topple, or steal all physical copies?
AI is something that appeals to everyone and its existence would influence every facet of humanity; politics, pop-culture, technology, etc. To think that nothing drastic would happen and that everything would go honky dory with humans using it for benevolent purposes just doesn't sound realistic. So here I am asking, what do you think would follow?