[skybrian]

I think the idea might be that strong AI could accelerate R&D in general. For example, the politics could change a lot if inexpensive technical solutions are found for removing carbon from the air.

That may seem rather unlikely, but the true believers in Strong AI tend to think of it as a magic wand: if people can do scientific research, why couldn't a machine do it faster?

[ngrilly]

I can buy that. But in the context of climate change, this makes sense only if we solve the strong AI problem faster than we solve the carbon-neutral energy problem, which is extremely hypothetical...