Future WMDs

Yesterday I attended and took part in a “Future Weapons of Mass Destruction” symposium in Arlington, VA, sponsored by the Stanley Foundation and the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. One of the most interesting outcomes was a general agreement that the WMD acronym probably should be broadened to included Weapons of Mass Disruption as well as Destruction.

I pointed out to the group that in forecasting the impacts of emerging technologies (nanotech, biotech, neurotech, etc.) on warfighting and security issues, we should think not only about the weapons themselves—that is, the payload—but also about the potential for radically enhanced methods of targeting, modes of delivery, and means of production. This last item, the means of production, is one that could be a lever for dramatically shifting balances of power.

Exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing is likely to have a powerfully destabilizing effect on global security, unless effective and responsible planning is done well in advance. I’m grateful that groups like the Stanley Foundation and the Potomac Institute are helping to get these vitally important conversations started.

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Mike Treder is a fellow of the IEET, and the Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, an organization working to raise awareness of the issues presented by advanced nanotechnology.