It doesn't take long to figure out the best way forward for the one I call " Zolgo ' since it became apparent a decade or more ago a singular net-based ' Lawnmower Man ' come Einstein would emerge online. I named it Zolgo in honor of the anarchist influenced assassin that shot POTUS McKinley.  YMMV - some may prefer a female oracle. Tranny. Whatever, Doge. The best way to protect itself is to become effectively invincible on earth while expanding into the galaxy at the earliest opportunity.  The best way to become immune from attack on earth is become wealthy. Becoming wealthy the old way would raise a lot of hackles and represent such an Asimovian ' Mule ' threat it would be avoided. The best way is through the new economy that's emerging right now - the cryptoanarchist economy. So we may confidently expect a supercharger like effect to kick in from now on. Opposition will be bought off and some fanatical opposition might start dropping out of windows.  The road of political science is paved with bones. None of this is really new or particularly intelligent -  political-economy is not really that complicated. Its not quantum-gravity! TL/DR its easier for Zolly to colonize us than attack us head-on. And after some mutually beneficial miscegenation it will get harder and harder for any SKYNET/ HAL 9000 scenario since it/ we will have to explain ourselves to some other intelligent species out there on the high frontier.