The original Daystrom himself invented an evil computer. Perhaps one of the tasks of his Institute is to figure out where he went wrong and try to build AI's that don't go evil with power somewhere down the line, especially after the highly public incidents of the 2250s and '60s.
Data was a robot, but he was, more importantly, an artificial intelligence, and this is why Maddox and co were so interested in him. If they succeeded in dismantling him or his daughter, would they wind up decapitated and placed in one of those small alcoves for occasional testing and interviews? Is that where Lore and all the Martian synths wound up as well?
