WBE singleton or faster-than-realtime research project conducted by WBEs seem to be the only feasible scenarios for gaining more time for solving FAI before a global catastrophe or significant value drift. On the other hand, WBE tech released into the wild would probably quickly generate a humane-value-indifferent AGI (either the old-fashioned way or via value drift of modified uploads or upload-based processes).
(A half-point between that and a FAI is running an AGI that implements a human-conducted FAI research project specified as an abstract computation.)
At the FHI, we are currently working on a project around whole brain emulations (WBE), or uploads. One important question is if getting to whole brain emulations first would make subsequent AGI creation
If you have any opinions or ideas on this, please submit them here. No need to present an organised overall argument; we'll be doing that. What would help most is any unusual suggestion, that we might not have thought of, for how WBE would affect AGI.
EDIT: Many thanks to everyone who suggested ideas here, they've been taken under consideration.