Societal impact of nanotechnology
Studies have shown numerous positive results of applying nano-technology but public opinion is vital to its success at transforming society.
[5] Some observers suggest that nanotechnology will build incrementally, as did the 18–19th century Industrial Revolution, until it gathers pace to drive a nanotechnological revolution that will radically reshape our economies, our labor markets, international trade, international relations, social structures, civil liberties, our relationship with the natural world and even what we understand to be human.
As the APEC Center for Technology Foresight observes: If nanotechnology is going to revolutionize manufacturing, health care, energy supply, communications and probably defense, then it will transform labour and the workplace, the medical system, the transportation and power infrastructures and the military.
[6] Those concerned with the negative impact of nanotechnology suggest that it will simply exacerbate problems stemming from existing socio-economic inequity and unequal distributions of power, creating greater inequities between rich and poor through an inevitable nano-divide (the gap between those who control the new nanotechnologies and those whose products, services or labour are displaced by them).
However, more socially disruptive weapon systems are to be expected from molecular manufacturing, a potential future form of nanotechnology that would make it possible to build complex structures at atomic precision.
While human engineering and arms control will be better there will also be strict regulations on all forms of nanotech especially autonomies to prevent any unfortunate incidents.
[11][13][14] Several reasons have been suggested why the availability of nanotech weaponry may with significant likelihood lead to unstable arms races (compared to e.g. nuclear arms races): (1) A large number of players may be tempted to enter the race since the threshold for doing so is low;[11] (2) the ability to make weapons with molecular manufacturing might be cheap and easy to hide;[11] (3) therefore lack of insight into the other parties' capabilities can tempt players to arm out of caution or to launch preemptive strikes;[11][15] (4) molecular manufacturing may reduce dependency on international trade,[11] a potential peace-promoting factor;[16] (5) wars of aggression may pose a smaller economic threat to the aggressor since manufacturing is cheap and humans may not be needed on the battlefield.
[11] Self-regulation by all state and non-state actors has been called hard to achieve,[17] so measures to mitigate war-related risks have mainly been proposed in the area of international cooperation.
For example, two corporations, NEC and IBM, hold the basic patents on carbon nanotubes, one of the current cornerstones of nanotechnology.
Carbon nanotubes have a wide range of uses, and look set to become crucial to several industries from electronics and computers, to strengthened materials to drug delivery and diagnostics.
However, as their use expands, anyone seeking to (legally) manufacture or sell carbon nanotubes, no matter what the application, must first buy a license from NEC or IBM.
Nanotechnologies may provide new solutions for the millions of people in developing countries who lack access to basic services, such as safe water, reliable energy, health care, and education.
Applying nanotechnologies in developing countries raises similar questions about the environmental, health, and societal risks described in the previous section.
In addition, most patents related to nanotechnology are concentrated amongst few multinational corporations, including IBM, Micron Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel.
It has been argued that their substitution with industrial nano-products could negatively impact the economies of developing countries, that have traditionally relied on these export crops.
[27] It is proposed that nanotechnology can only be effective in alleviating poverty and aid development "when adapted to social, cultural and local institutional contexts, and chosen and designed with the active participation by citizens right from the commencement point" (Invernizzi et al. 2008, p. 132).
[30] It has also been speculated that nanotechnology may give rise to nanofactories which may have superior capabilities to conventional factories due to their small carbon and physical footprint on the global and regional environment.
Nanofactory systems may use precise atomic positioning and contribute to making superior quality products that the "bulk chemistry" method used in 20th century and early 21st currently cannot produce.
These advances might shift the computerized workforce in an even more complex direction, requiring skills in genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.
Scientist who work in nano tech are both the most optimistic about its progress and worried for its risks on society, though most coming into nanotechnology have no introduction to the ethics.
Laws were then made to monitor nano technology and make sure ethical, environmental and societal concerns were ingrained.
