“AGI as an Infinite Digital Spain” by Bearly Legible

LessWrong (30+ Karma) · Oct 10, 2026 · 11m

Much of the communication around AI takeover seems to rely on the assumption that AI will develop better technology than humans. They will then leverage this technology to conquer humanity much like how European technologies allowed a relatively small number of Spaniards to conquer the Aztecs.

But this just... isn't correct. European technology wasn't that impressive (on the battlefield). This idea overstates how much technological superiority you need to pull off a takeover.

The Aztec Empire was toppled by a few thousand goobers an ocean away from home. Cortés had basically no military…