But why exactly would you expect conventional researchers in AI and related technologies (also including provable software, as used in the aerospace industry, and a bunch of other topics), with credentials and/or accomplishments in said fields, to fare worse on that list's score?

Furthermore, with regards to the rationality, risks of mistake, and such... very little was done that can be checked for correctness in a clear cut way - most is of such nature that even when wrong it would not be possible to conclusively demonstrate it wrong. The few things that can be checked... look, when you write an article like this , discussing irrationality of Enrico Fermi, there's a substantial risk of appearing highly arrogant (and irrational) if you get the technical details wrong. It is a miniature version of AI risk problem - you need to understand the subject, and if you don't, there's negative consequences. It is much, much easier to not goof up in things like that, than AI direction.

As you guys are researching into actual AI technologies, the issue is that one should be able to deem your effort less of a risk. Mere "we are trying to avoid risk and we think they don't" can't do. The cost of a particularly bad friendly AI goof-up is a sadistic AI (to borrow the term from Omohundro). A sadistic AI can probably run far more tortured minds than a friendly AI can run minds, by a very huge factor, so the risk of a goof up must be quite a lot lower than anyone demonstrated.