If one wanted to write an interesting counterfactual story it could be about how the 1956 conference succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams but before they implemented the theory they realized UFAI would destroy them all (or maybe the limited hardware of the day didn’t allow for a hard takeoff and they managed to stop it; more dramatic!) and they had to plan a vast conspiracy to bury the results and lead other researchers down blind alleys for decades. These were many of the best minds in the field, after all, and they had the hindsight of Einstein and atomic energy.
If one wanted to write an interesting counterfactual story it could be about how the 1956 conference succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams but before they implemented the theory they realized UFAI would destroy them all (or maybe the limited hardware of the day didn’t allow for a hard takeoff and they managed to stop it; more dramatic!) and they had to plan a vast conspiracy to bury the results and lead other researchers down blind alleys for decades. These were many of the best minds in the field, after all, and they had the hindsight of Einstein and atomic energy.
Right, you’re the next target!