Module 12

This week we were asked to read an article by Bill Joy called “Why the future doesn’t need us”. The article goes into some pretty scientific thoughts and theories but Joy does a good job of breaking it down for those of us with less scientific minds. The main idea of this article is that one day the combination of genetics, nanotechnology and robotics will cause the destruction of the world.

The field of robotics has been advancing exponentially for the last twenty years and Joy believes that soon someone will create a robot that can think for itself. A robot that can think for itself could be a very useful tool. If this type of robot were to become a major part of everyday life it could change the way humans live. This sounds wonderful but if it were to somehow go wrong it could be catastrophic.

Genetic engineering is helping the world in many ways already. Genetic engineering has provided things such as better food, cures to many diseases and all types of things that improve our quality of life. With advancements in genetic engineering the average lifetime could be elongated by many years. The ability to manipulate genes could help mankind greatly but it could also be very harmful. If someone were to create a self-replicating gene that negatively affected the human body the entire world could be affected.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on the molecular scale. Joy fears nanotechnology more than either robotics or genetic engineering. Joy compares nanotechnology to the nuclear bomb because it is easier to find destructive uses than helpful ones. The scariest part of nanotechnology is that unlike nuclear technology you don’t need a large space or rare raw materials to create it. With knowledge of nanotechnology creating incredibly powerful and small weapons is possible for anyone.

Before reading this article if you had asked me if I thought that genetic engineering, nanotechnology and robotics were going to cause large scale problems for humanity I would have told you to stop watching so many movies. After reading the article by Joy though I have changed my mind. The threat of these things has become very real over the past few years.