PRESS RELEASE: JUNE 9, 2004
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.”
