Most of the researchers are specifically in a handful of big labs, most of which in turn are in the USA. As one who has done so, trust me when I say that relocation is harder than it seems on paper.
Also note that both California and the EU are economically dominant enough that they tend to influence regulation outside their own borders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_effect
In addition, given how much training data current models need, there would be a huge impact just by a handful of governments siding with all the copyright holders suing OpenAI, Midjourney, Stability AI, etc.
And all that is without needing Yudkowsky's point that a ban isn't serious unless you're willing to escalate to performing airstrikes on data centres.
Also note that both California and the EU are economically dominant enough that they tend to influence regulation outside their own borders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_effect
Further note how many people signed the Pause letter: https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experime...
In addition, given how much training data current models need, there would be a huge impact just by a handful of governments siding with all the copyright holders suing OpenAI, Midjourney, Stability AI, etc.
And all that is without needing Yudkowsky's point that a ban isn't serious unless you're willing to escalate to performing airstrikes on data centres.