Researchers including Geoffrey Irving note that executives at leading AI labs remain locked in competition to develop artificial superintelligence first. Irving has stated that the person worthy of building ASI is the one who refrains, framing the pursuit as driven by personal or organizational first-mover advantage. Washington Post reporter Nitasha Tiku amplified the observation that lab leaders treat the race as urgent even while recognizing world-ending stakes. The evidence shows this stance persists across frontier organizations without any reported de-escalation.