[extropy-chat] Grey Goo in Perspective

[MIKE TREDER]

Below is the text of a press release from CRN announcing an important new 
article. The release can be viewed online at  
http://www.crnano.org/PR-IOP.htm

Let us know if you have any comments.

Mike Treder
Executive Director
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology

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TITLE: Leading nanotech experts put 'grey goo' in perspective

A paper published today in the journal Nanotechnology warns that fear of 
runaway self-replicating machines diverts attention away from other more 
serious risks of molecular manufacturing. The paper, "Safe Exponential 
Manufacturing", published by the Institute of Physics, was written by Chris 
Phoenix, Director of Research at the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology 
(CRN), and Dr. K. Eric Drexler, a pioneering nanotechnology theorist and 
founder of the Foresight Institute.

Drexler had cautioned against self-replicating machines in his 1986 book 
Engines of Creation. The idea became known as 'grey goo' and inspired a 
generation of science fiction authors. In this article, Phoenix and Drexler 
show that nanotechnology-based fabrication can be completely safe from 
out-of-control replication. However, they warn that for other reasons misuse 
of molecular manufacturing remains a significant danger.

"So-called grey goo could only be the product of a deliberate and difficult 
engineering process, not an accident," said Phoenix. "Far more serious is 
the possibility that a large-scale and convenient manufacturing capacity 
could be used to make incredibly powerful non-replicating weapons in 
unprecedented quantity. This could lead to an unstable arms race and a 
devastating war. Policy investigation into the effects of advanced 
nanotechnology should consider this as a primary concern, and runaway 
replication as a more distant issue."

Contrary to previous understanding, self-replication is unnecessary for 
building an efficient and effective molecular manufacturing system. Instead 
of building lots of tiny, complex, free-floating robots to manufacture 
products, it will be more practical to use simple robot arms inside 
desktop-size factories. A robot arm removed from such a factory would be as 
inert as a light bulb pulled from its socket. The factory as a whole would 
be no more mobile than a desktop printer and would require a supply of 
purified raw materials to build anything.

"An obsession with obsolete science-fiction images of swarms of replicating 
nanobugs has diverted attention from the real issues raised by the coming 
revolution in molecular nanotechnologies," said Drexler. "We need to focus 
on the issues that matter — how to deal with these powerful new capabilities 
in a competitive world."

Mike Treder, Executive Director of CRN, said, "We hope that this article 
will advance the discussion of the actual implications of molecular 
manufacturing. There is no need for panic, but there are urgent concerns 
that must be addressed before the technology arrives."

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology is headquartered in New York. CRN 
is an affiliate of World Care, an international, non-profit, 501(c)(3) 
organization. For more information on CRN, see http://www.crnano.org/.