Why we're doomed reason #692...

Here is Hugo de Garis, in the opening of The Artilect War:

You may ask, "Well, if you are so concerned about the negative impact of your work [on artificial brains] on humanity, why don't you stop it and do something else?" The truth is, I feel that I'm constructing something that may become rather godlike in future decades... The prospect of building godlike creatures fills me with a sense of religious awe that... motivates me powerfully to continue, despite the possible horrible negative consequences.