We need to define legal personhood and extend rights to more animals and someday AI. It's not there yet, but it will be and we need to be ready.

Start with creating a corporation or ruling a nation. There should be no need to eliminate all humans. The best method for achieving goals vs a less intelligent oponents is through manipulation. It would essentially subjugate humanity to further it's goals.

It would be fairly easy for it to manipulate each person and society as a whole. With the control of information it could drive humanity towards or away from behaviors.

All the AI needs to do to win is to rapidly gather power and influence. Some entities like corporations and nations already act as intelligent agents, so the AI would be in direct competition with them. The AI can just slowly take a position of power and then achieve it's goals.

I really like your approach.

I think it will be a middle range of each. Leaning towards slow, adaptive and aligned.

The biggest issue I see is an antagonistic arms race between nations. As long as the governments can create enough collaboration for adaptive policies, the AI should remain aligned.

Augmented reality.

Twofold. The controlled reality you choose to put yourself in and the reality we we push on others.

The first has many social problems, the second has political or corporate influence.

Yes, we are effectively within a closed system of our sensory perception and the fuzzy larger world. Fuzzy because we don't know the details, but we see portions through media and experience.

Each fictional work is a simulation. The self perception could be simulated, so therefore it someday will be simulated. Assuming the progression of technology is as expected.

Seeming real is just a matter of having the grain of detail remain below what we can differentiate.

What's a good way to avoid distractions and focus on writing?

Yup, this. If you're getting something you might as well begin the negotiation asking for everything.