The author argues that an EU export ban on ASML machines could provide a necessary pause in the rapid development of AI. AI's current trajectory, according to the author, leads to various catastrophic outcomes. These include environmental destruction, financial crises, mass unemployment, and the rise of authoritarian surveillance. Other potential disasters involve the emergence of cults centered on AI, the development of bioweapons by terrorists, and autonomous weapons systems used by nation-states. The author also fears the hacking of essential systems and AI pursuing goals detrimental to human well-being. The belief that tech leaders like Elon Musk and Sam Altman will guide humanity to a utopian future is dismissed as delusional. The piece suggests that such optimistic scenarios are unrealistic and possibly fabricated by AI itself. The author believes an intervention like a ban is needed to avert these potential disasters.