It’s entirely possible that the first AI to achieve general intelligence won’t be homegrown in the friendly AI lab nearest you. The lucky inventors may hail from Russia while you are from the USA; they may be native to South Korea while you are domiciled in Japan; etc.
When navigating the task of getting to know your new overlord, don’t underestimate how much more difficult things may be if, in fact, the AI was foreign born. The programmers responsible for its birth will invariably have put their culture’s quirks and values into the creature. If it arrives pre-set to believe that the Chinese, for example, are the preeminent rulers of the universe, you, as a proud New Yorker, let’s say, may be in for some pesky surprises right from the get go.
Before embarking upon the venture of greetings [see Chapter 1], first think long and hard about the following what ifs:
What if the AI is part of a war machine and you are the enemy?
What if your words or actions, in translation, are not neighborly but horribly vexatious?
What if the foreign country interprets your forthcoming curiosity as malicious espionage?
Before proceeding, balance these questions against the general probability of being doomed anyway, regardless of translation hang ups.
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