Ryan Williams 

Module 12 

GNR stands for Genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics. Genetic engineering is the direct modification of DNA. This isn’t always in favor of good. For example, as we create new vaccinations to improve our resistance to bacteria and viruses, the bacteria and viruses are also gaining a resistance to the new vaccinations by having their DNA adapt to them. This basically makes a never-ending war on vaccinations where one side is almost always a little bit ahead of the other side and are always trying to catch up. 

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a very small scale, more accurately the molecular scale. This also can be used in a variety of helpful ways, but also bad ones. At one point in the article, the author says, "Unfortunately, as with nuclear technology, it is far easier to create destructive uses for nanotechnology than constructive ones." 

Robotics is the use of constructing objects that can move and function to do tasks. Building robots and making uses for them, like the genetic engineering and nanotechnology, can be used for good or evil. In a bunch of movies today, robotics is seen as good for the population but later it turns against them and to survive, they end up having to disable or get rid of the robots in order to regain control. 

I think that Bill Joy has a pretty solid sounding argument on why GNR should be feared. I think movies have done a pretty good job on showing and extreme version of what could happen if technology were to take for, like the movie I, Robot  where robots are made for good and to help people in their everyday lives but the artificial intelligence is allowed to improve the life of humans which results in humans not being good enough to continue and they have to be eliminated which is when people have to take the robots back over and shut them down. 

I really enjoyed reading this article. As I have probably said before, I like reading about technology and where it could be heading and this article was just that. I thought the author also made the article interesting to read and he never lost my attention.