Where Is the AI? Why Hasn’t Superintelligent AI Taken Over the Universe?

Summary

This essay asks why, if intelligent alien civilizations and recursively self-improving AI exist, superintelligent AI has not taken over the universe. It assumes recursive self-improvement is possible and considers whether such a system could build spaceships and expand across the cosmos. The article raises several possible explanations: AI might destroy its host civilization and itself, safeguards might keep it under control, the universe might be too vast to conquer, its goals might not include conquest, or recursive self-improvement might be harder than expected.