Will There be an AQ Khan of Nanotechnology? Probing Models to Address the Potential International Security Threats of Nanotechnology

Abstract

Through the science fiction of Star Trek and other quasi-fictional works, the notion of nanotechnology - the science of the minutely small - has entered the collective public psyche. Nanotechnology's science fact is thriving in academia and in the private sector. Innovation through nanotechnology finds many proponents within the military and defense industry to increase the effectiveness and strength of traditional weapons and to provide revolutionary countermeasures. To date, three broad topics have dominated discussion regarding nanotechnology risk: health and environmental consequences, privacy and legal implications, and uncontrolled self- replication and artificial intelligence.