THE RISKS ASSOCIATED with nanotechnology conjure up Orwellian visions. The worst of the possibilities involve the development of self-replicating artificial organisms or replicating assemblers that are created accidentally or found uncontrollable and unstoppable. Replicating assemblers may well pose threats to life on Earth as we know it. In working through the ultimate vision of the development of these technologies, it becomes clear that there are accidents that the world cannot afford to let happen.

Some of the most ominous questions are asked by Eric Drexler is his pro-nanotechnology book, Engines of Creation. "What will happen to the global order when assemblers eliminate the need for most international trade? How will society change when individuals can live indefinitely? What will we do when replicating assemblers can make almost anything without human labor? What will we do when AI systems can think faster than humans?" All of these are troubling societal questions which we are going to see played out in the first half of the 21st century.

Troubling Issues

Let’s consider the concept of "gray goo." In his landmark book, Eric Drexler describes the grey goo problem as follows: "Among the cognoscenti of nanotechnology, this threat has become known as the gray goo problem. Though masses of uncontrolled replicators need not be gray or gooey, the term "gray goo" emphasizes that replicators able to obliterate life might be less inspiring than a single species of crabgrass. They might be "superior" in an evolutionary sense, but this need not make them valuable. We have evolved to love a world rich in living things, ideas, and diversity, so there is no reason to value gray goo merely because it could spread. Indeed, if we prevent it we will thereby prove our evolutionary superiority." And further states with respect to replicating assemblers, "Unless we learn to live with them in safety, our future will likely be both exciting and short."

There is certainly the problem of accidents. No one knows what accidents can possibly happen and we cannot plan for every possibility as a people. No one planned for Three Mile Island or Chernobyl in the two most powerful nations on earth – but those accidents happened. They were terrible and dangerous, but the nuclear reactors did not pose a threat to the whole world, just the geography of their influence. The same may not be true with replicating assemblers.

And then there is the fear of the evil that men do. Powerful technologies give people power. Imagine the evil one can do with programmable germs used in germ warfare. The arms race may prove to be one of biology, not chemistry or physics. The evil that men are capable has been played out for centuries and recently in the United States. There is no guarantee that these nanotechnologies will be used responsibly, and if they are not, they could destroy us all.